The youths are frustrated and will not vote for the PPP

DEAR EDITOR,

The continuing collapse of the economy, health care, education and the social systems in Guyana that has evolved from the failures of the incompetent PPP regime has affected the vast majority of Guyanese, especially the youths. In fact, in this election year, all Guyanese have to be greatly concerned that after 22 years of PPP rule, including 15 years of the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime, the country’s political and economic system is still not working as it should in the interest and to the satisfaction of the majority of the population, including some of their own supporters. But more importantly, no one should take the PPP regime seriously in this election year because during the past five months, the price of oil has reduced from US$109 per barrel to US$50 per barrel but the president has offered to reduce electrical rates by a meagre 10 percent. Why not 25 percent? He should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage on the poor. Things are so bad under the PPP government that more than half of the nation’s youth population between the ages of 16 and 30 and spanning all social classes and ethnicity are making plans to migrate to another country on account of their perception that better opportunities for social and upward mobility reside outside of Guyana—the same Guyana, mind you, that the president has said that its GDP has increased by 25 percent during the past three years. If this is true, then why he has not increased the salaries of public/civil servants by 15 percent and old age pensions from $13,000 to $20,000 and lowered VAT by two percent to ease the burden on the poor. In fact, why does he continue to pay rock-bottom wages to the workers and punish the people of Berbice with such high tolls on the Bridge? So deep-rooted and befuddling is the crisis of the youths’ non-allegiance to Guyana that it has spurred great concern by some to posit the view that Guyanese should seek their fortunes elsewhere and be willing to repatriate remittances to help their relatives and build the country, even though the PPP regime claims that the country is rapidly developing in all sectors. If there is not a change in government on May 11, and things remain as they have been in the past 22 years of PPP rule, then the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, among others, will continue to claim the loyalties of the youths who will educate themselves at home before leaving for greener pastures in those countries. The first step in averting the deepening of this crisis in this election year is for the people to come to terms with the reality that after 22 years in office, the PPP has not done anything to develop the country, improve the lives of the poor and reduce corruption and crime. It is clear for all to see that the old-time 1960 economic policies are not working, therefore new ways must be found urgently to keep the youths in the country, especially the technology-savvy young generation. So let’s not fool ourselves. In circumstances like these no amount of exhortation about patriotism for the land of their birth will be heeded. The youths are frustrated and will continue to distrust the PPP cabal who had promised them the moon and the stars in the last election. They no longer have trust and confidence in a regime that has subverted Parliament, violated the constitution, and in the process has undermined the democratic system while invoking the sanctity of choice. In Guyana, the genius of statecraft, nation-building and of social transformation can only be realized when its citizens acknowledge that they deserve a better government. They need also to recognize that nothing much was achieved under the PPP regime, because its executives have established a system that supports and favours themselves and their rich friends at the expense of the poor. Not only has the PPP not advanced any policies to develop the country, they also have no original ideas or thoughts of their own other than to rape the treasury, hijack the country’s resources, deny freedom to the press, and blame the opposition for the failures of their silly policies. In the 2006 and 2011 elections, the PPP cabal has made several promises of which none was fulfilled. The good thing is that the people do not believe anything coming from the mouths of these charlatans, not even their own supporters. Dr. Jagan is probably turning in his grave to know that the PPP he founded has turned against the poor and the working class.

Dr. Asquith Rose,

Chandra Deolall,

Dr. Merle Spencer-Marks