Discrimination, corruption and intolerance have become the hallmark of Ramotar’s presidency

DEAR EDITOR, President Ramotar, more than any other president, had the opportunity to be the nation’s finest. Were he committed to this nation and her people he could have used the experiences of his predecessors and the mistakes they made to help mould a 21st century Guyana. And when I speak about 21st century society, it is one built on the foundation that good governance has to be grounded in respect for universal principles, rights and the rule of law. Had he followed these tenets in our diverse society, his call now for another chance come May 11th could have been taken seriously by the citizens. Instead, what Guyanese received from the president is a continuation of Bharrat Jagdeo’s disregard for good governance, and like conjoined twins the two continue to preside over the nation’s patrimony as though it is their plantation and the people are their subjects. The people of Region 10 who Ramotar regaled with promises, sprinkled with the usual crass politicking, more than any other region bears testimony to a government that has no regard for its citizens, to the extent where after abusing and mistreating them, they have the gall to turn up at their doors and ask for another chance. It is one thing in politics to ask for a chance and another to seek this chance when you are digging in on violating the rights of those whom you rely on to give you that chance. Hadn’t Ramotar come to office with this abuser sense of entitlement, an attitude in politics that for too long is working against this nation’s development, he would have factored in the lessons of the 2011 elections. He would have taken note of the call by the citizens, through their ballot, for the political parties to work together in the interest of all. Instead, he chose to disregard the will of the people as though the people are mad. In so doing he refused to undo the reckless abuse of workers’/taxpayers’ moneys and continues the violation of the law in the management of the Consolidated Fund. He outrightly disregarded the will of the people through their elected representatives to restore prudent and accountable management for their moneys via the National Budget and other parliamentary actions. The president has refused to listen to the voices outside of those within his enclave and has abused his authority to silence the voice of the masses by shutting down parliament, in order that he can rule by decree rather than govern in the interest of the people. He continues in the footsteps of his conjoined twin, Jagdeo, to run roughshod over the people. He has demonstrated no regard for the representative nature of our system of government and the society’s principal political objective of inclusionary democracy (Article 13, Guyana Constitution) Specifically to Region 10, even though his government in 2012 signed an agreement with this region to work with them to ensure their wellbeing he has reneged on the agreement, following in the footsteps of his political twin who signed agreements and never honoured them. The workers at BCGI/RUSAL who were dismissed, their rights transgressed, his cabinet refused to have these workers’ grievances addressed, the laws respected and the recognised union speak on their behalf. This is the same tactic applied by Bharrat Jagdeo when he closed down the bauxite companies and sold them to foreign capital for next to nothing. President Ramotar, whom some thought would have departed from Jagdeo’s bad policies and governance, has instead chosen to dig in and continue the process of violating laws and transgressing rights. Early in his presidency, I chose through this said medium, to encourage him to choose a different path from Jagdeo for the good of the nation, but he continues to embrace and implement these bad practices lock, stock and barrel. My greatest disappointment is that Donald Ramotar, who I know personally, had some of his apprenticeship in the trade union movement, which is a rights organisation, but the form of governance he embraces is in conflict with every principle the trade union embraces. Discrimination, corruption and intolerance have become the hallmark of his presidency. In this 21st century, he and Jagdeo are still settling scores for what they perceived happened in the 20th century, even though the major protagonists of that era, Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan, had a cordial working relationship than what exists today in the political culture. In this same medium, I drew to the attention of the current crop of politicians the strengths of Burnham and Jagan in negotiating and arriving at consensus, where both parties were able to say to their constituents that we are able to deliver something for you. Instead, even as Ramotar claims that the PPP today is following in Jagan’s footsteps they refuse to negotiate and work with the opposition and independent sections of civil society. For him to now ask Guyanese for another chance come 11th May is tantamount to an abuser asking the abused to give them another. It requires strength to say, enough is enough. The abused, the people of this society, have a right to get up and say no more. What the Jagdeo/Ramotar leadership needs is time out from government to correct their evil ways. What this nation and her people need is breathing space to develop the appropriate climate and programmes to recoup from the lost ground we suffered by these two men leadership. Lincoln Lewis