The Opposition must liberate the people from the “Rags to Riches” Cabal
Dear Editor,
We predict that from today, both the APNU and the AFC will begin their Long March forward to victory in both the Local Government Elections and the General and Regional Elections while the PPP continues to march the country backwards. Opinion polls, which in a few instances have got results spectacularly wrong, have predicted that APNU and the AFC will demolish the PPP whenever Local Government or General Elections are held. This is the primary reason why the Freedom House cabal has refused to set a date for Local Government Elections. They have sensed that the end is near for them.
Given the state of the country, all this means is that whoever comprises the executive of both parties must individually be prepared for the Long March—a term coined by China’s Chairman Mao Zedong as he demonstrated that such a journey must be strategically planned so that one’s “opponents will be unable to analyze, judge or intercept their actions.”
As we have written previously, there appears to be a sense of generalized fear and hopelessness, especially among the youths and the elderly about the future direction of the country. Many have experienced the high crime rate, double digit inflation, low wages and salaries and a 20% unemployment rate. A degree at UG seems to be a waste of time because there are not too many jobs available and the few jobs that exist are given to the children of the relatives and friends of the PPP cabal. The challenge as such is enormous, yet not unique. Throughout history, leaders have confronted various social configurations and challenges.
The difference here has been the rapidity and confluence of events within recent times. The leaders of APNU and the AFC must begin their journey to liberate the country from the yoke of the Stalinist dictators at Freedom House or what we termed the “rags to riches” cabal. One suggestion is that they should pay very careful attention to the anger and frustration that are growing among the youths in the streets of Georgetown and the villages and districts throughout the country. There is an urgent feeling among the youths to take matters into their own hands to help themselves and to save Guyana from the “kleptocrats.”
Also, many citizens believe that the country is marching eerily towards a state of total breakdown. This is definitely not a stretch but a fact. It is now happening at City Hall.
The immediate challenge for the leaders of the AFC and APNU, therefore, is to have a strategy for the transformation of the feelings of disenchantment, discontent, despair, marginalization and fear into feelings of safety, aliveness, wholeness and hope. Although we would like to distance ourselves from such bleak visions of our beloved Guyana, the dismal and depressing situation which the PPP regime has placed the country in makes it very difficult for us to do so. As citizens, we believe that it is our responsibility to expose all the wicked and depraved acts committed by this corrupt and uncaring regime on the people.
But Guyana, placed under the microscope, does reveal some unsavory truths in that it has a poor educational system, death zones as public hospitals and an antiquated colonial judicial system which is unable to cope with the flood of armed robberies, murders, drug and gang-related crime, complex fraud and money-laundering. And for 22 years the PPP regime has been unable to improve the lives of the poor and the working class. For over a decade, the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal has imposed a 5% yearly wage increase for the workers while the cost for food and electricity have skyrocketed thus making it impossible for the workers to survive on slave-like wages. We remind the people that it was Jagdeo who decided that he must receive a pension of $3 million per month but at the same time has agreed to pay a meager $15,000 pension per month to senior citizens.
The truth is a nation in distress and a people in despair will hitch their hopes to any other party than PPP. APNU and the AFC, if they are to be taken seriously by the people as presiding over a Government-in-waiting, must state clearly what they see as their mandate and objectives. Above all, the leaders of APNU and the AFC must be sensitive and reassuring and they must convince the people about their intended performance and standards of governance.
And to obtain credibility, both parties individually must demonstrate to all Guyanese that they have a disciplined approach, so that they would be aware of those objectives that they are aimed at achieving. Above all, the leaders must be dedicated to their plans to reduce crime, corruption and drug trafficking and that legislative oversight over the Cabinet will be a firm commitment, because today the latter has been replaced by a “rags to riches Cabal” which awards billion-dollar contracts almost daily to their friends and relatives. Ultimately, the opposition plans will go a long way towards deliverance day at the end of the “Long March.”
Aubrey Reteymer,
Dr. Vincent Nauth,
Derrick Arjune,
Asha Balbachan,
Harish Singh,
Guilianna Jacobs,
Dr. Devita Khan,
Chandra Deollal, Esq.,
Dr. Reginald Watkins,
Asquith Rose,
Rohit Misir,
Dr. Terrence Simon,
Donna Mathoo,
Noel Moses,
Vicki Rampersaud
