Bharrat Jagdeo’s jaunt to re-enter public office is a march in inconsistency and hypocrisy
DEAR EDITOR, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s jaunt to re-enter public office, which he said in March he has no interest in, is a march in inconsistency and hypocrisy. On Monday he was at it again. This time it is about wanting credit for parts of the National Budget presented by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan on Monday, 10th August. What credit in the budget is Mr. Jagdeo talking about and wants to claim? In the usual sense of allness, as he seeks credit, then he has to start from the beginning. He needs to give credit to the PNC for free education from nursery to university that children of his era had. As president, he denied many Guyanese the same opportunity through his fee-paying policy. He needs to give credit to the PNCR for the Guyana 21 Plan that he copied wholesale from to run the post-2001 government. Mr. Jagdeo needs to give credit to the PNC government for employing him at the State Planning Secretariat even though he was a member of the PPP. When he became president and had the opportunity to show a similar level of decency, he targeted those who were not his supporters for sustained marginalisation. Guyanese have not forgotten Dr. Roger Luncheon’s testimony in the libel case brought by Mr. Jagdeo against Messrs. Frederick Kissoon, Adam Harris and Glenn Lall of Kaieteur News. He must also take his credit for wrecking the country, grinding the sugar industry into the mud; compromising the public sector; the bloodbath of 2002-2008 after the jail break; the phantom squads; for dividing the races further and allowing the drug economy to run free. There is a lot of credit-giving and credit-taking to happen. When Mr. Jagdeo starts giving and accepting credit where credit is due, then the credit he wants to claim from the Budget may be worthy to look at. But then again, why is he seeking credit for something he has discredited. It is he who said the Budget is “seriously underwhelming” but still wants credit for something he thinks won’t make a positive impact, and is disappointing. If this isn’t inconsistency and hypocrisy, what else is? But I guess in this regard Mr. Jagdeo is deserving of his credit and such is duly given. Mr. Jagdeo plans to be in the 11th Parliament and it is said he may be elected Leader of the Opposition. He has to be careful his inconsistency and hypocrisy is not typecast of the Jekyll and Hyde personality. Vanessa Kissoon