Dear Editor,

Almost every time I leave my house and interact with Guyanese from various areas, I have to listen to their growing disappointment with the ruling party, especially from their own supporters whom they have been neglecting. With all the exposure of corruption and mismanagement, I would have expected the regime to come up with methods to win Guyanese support, but their latest comical move shows that they have no regard for us, especially the youth who will have to write exams on the same day that they want to hold elections. Based on the views expressed by people, like them, I am very happy that an election will be held soon, but I am very disappointed about the date, and I want to know why that particular date? What is so important on that day; does the 11th have any sentimental value to them? Already everyone can be heard complaining about the date, and even children who are supposed to sit exams have already started speculating which would affect them studying. However, given the nature of this regime, it doesn’t care.

Editor, the majority of the voters are young people, and they would normally hear the PPP/C complaining about the PNC era. They must know that the PPP/C have been ruling Guyana for over 22 years and nothing has been done by them to benefit the youths. After bringing in foreign workers to build a fancy hotel under questionable circumstances, they say Guyanese are lazy. Most of our youths would hear that during the tenure of the PNC flour and a few other commodities were banned, but they stop short to tell them that it was during the late President Desmond Hoyte’s term that the ban was lifted. Because of their lack of vision in governing Guyana, they continue to compare their time with the PNC’s, but many young people weren’t born in the PNC time and all they are witnessing is during the PPP/C’s.

Sports are an embarrassment here. If the business community doesn’t hold competitions and pay the players a stipend, most of them would not get any financial reward. Most times when an athlete has to go abroad to represent Guyana, they have to raise money to accommodate themselves on their own. Many of our athletes have to seek jobs in order to survive and still have to find time for practise after working. How could we expect them to excel under all that pressure? Our President’s son is controlling the network project and after passing the completion date more than once and getting millions more, that project is yet to be completed with no definite date. Is that progress?

Because of unemployment, thousands of our youths are turning to drugs and alcohol; many are dropping out from school and to date, this government has not come up with any solution to combat that, especially when many are committing suicide, crimes, murders, etc. Is that the vision they have for us?

Many business places have been downsizing their staff secretly because their businesses are failing. The recent surge of Chinese businesses has caused many places to lose business although most business places sell the same products. One has to ask if the Chinese are getting a better deal to import their products so they could sell more cheaply. In the meantime those who have jobs have to settle with the extra low wages. Do they have our interest at heart?

The election date is a blessing in disguise for us, and hopefully many of us will get to realise what we were enduring all the time.

Yours faithfully,
Sahadeo Bates