The PPP leadership is out of touch with the will of the people
DEAR EDITOR,
The PPP leadership has learnt nothing from the loss of its majority in the 2011 elections. Reading their General Secretary Mr. Rohee’s statement that “local government elections not as urgent as anti-money laundering bill…” exposes their disconnect from the people. Just revisit the facts. In 2010 when the PPP had a majority in the 9th Parliament and all the information for the passage of this anti-money laundering bill from CFATF, they just sat on their laurels. If this anti-money laundering was so urgent to them, why operate like snails in 2010 and 2011? But what this statement reveals is that Mr. Rohee is clearly out of touch with the “mood” of the people and that is a dangerous political position to be in; just ask Sonia Gandhi. If one is to peruse the “what the people say” column of May 19th, 2014 in the Stabroek News with respect to their views on the absence of local government elections this is what they said and I quote: 1. One security guard – I think it (local government elections) should be happening regularly because it would benefit us a lot and we’ll be seeing some changes; 2. One porter – It needs to happen fast because we need a better government…; 3. One vendor – in my opinion, the holding of local government elections is necessary. To carry out the democratic process of governance, we need to have the elections; 4. One construction worker – It’s bad that it has been so long. They should get a change, there should be a change; 5. One Miner – I think we should select persons who are capable of doing the job right. They are not doing a proper job right now; 6. One nut vendor – well it think we should hold local government elections – twenty years is too long; 7. One businesswoman – I think it is bad for democracy that local government elections have not been called for twenty years; 8. One driver – we need local government elections since we need a change to get this place cleaned; 9. One rice farmer – It’s ridiculous, I can’t see the reason why they don’t want to hold local government elections; 10. One pensioner – I think that the local government elections will bring a change in the state of the city. It is obvious from the above that the PPP leadership is clearly out of touch with the will of the people. The voice of the people is so much more powerful than the fossilized politicians.
Sase Singh