The four that control Gy
Jagdeo
Brassington
Buddy Khan
Ramroop
Guyanese know that things are not above board with these guys and they think that Jagdeo has the most control in Guyana to the point that he victimizes anyone that disagrees with him; even in the government they are scared of him. His main buddies are the other three mentioned above. The impression I got is that people have had enough of Jagdeo and his buddies.
Development:
There is a lot of physical progress if one were to look at construction and the number of small to medium businesses everywhere. Infrastructure improvement have taken place and in progress in some areas, however, in Georgetown there are some streets that are horrible.
In general the people, that I spoke to, are disappointed that the opposition voted down the Airport expansion, the specialty hospital and the Hydro power project. I get the impression that it is a pride thing for the people I spoke to, they see it as steps to a more modern Guyana but I am not sure they looked at the cost.
They are very disappointed that the opposition is not supporting the money laundering bill but they also feel the government dragged its foot on it.
Garbage:
There is garbage all over Guyana from the city to the countryside, it seems that garbage is just dumped everywhere.
Water and electricity:
Did not have issues with water but I did suffer an eight hour blackout one night.
Tourism:
This is just too funny, there is grand talk of tourism by the government but it seems that is all it is. Georgetown is one disgustingly filthy place and all of the beautiful old buildings are very poorly maintained. Worst of all one of the most beautiful pieces of old architecture that I have seen anywhere – the Georgetown City hall – is falling to pieces. I do not understand why the government of Guyana cannot maintain these buildings and a coat of paint goes a long way to beautifying buildings. By contrast you go across the border to Suriname and they take so much pride in their old architecture which are extremely well maintained and the hospitality industry workers are polite and professional. And do not even compare Guyana with Trinidad where I also visited on this trip, that country is at least 15 years ahead of Gy in terms of being developed
Many Guyanese in the service sector, including at the border, really need hospitality training.
Food:
Maybe it’s because I do not know where to get cheap food where I can trust the hygiene of the location but I find food is not cheap.
Employment:
The complaint I heard was that young people cannot find work and the people feel the government needs to do something about that. However, I also observed that unlike Canada and the USA, university students are not willing to work in the service industry, such as fast food places and restaurants, part time to make some extra cash. Most would prefer to work in their field of study or a more "prestigious: job.
Housing:
Not cheap! I know two people who have been waiting for house lots to build on, and finally after about 2-3 years they are getting lots but in very far off areas, I am talking like moving from east coast of Demerara to the west coast of Demerara. This is kind of difficult especially when families have their children in school and jobs close to where they currently live. I hung out from Georgetown to Ogle and the resale property prices in that space is insane, nothing will cost you less than $100,000 USD and that is the low end.
Poverty:
I must admit that the people that I hang out with are at least middle class so they all have nice homes and cars and all the modern conveniences we have in north America so I cannot comment too much on the poverty situation in Gy. However, I did see way too many homeless people; the government needs to do something about that.
Elections:
Many feel that the government should call a general elections soon so that Gy can get over the political stalemate that currently exists, regardless of who wins. They also are angry that the government has not called local government elections especially when they talk about the state of Georgetown.
Healthcare:
People know it’s not great but they say at least it’s there and it is spreading out away from the city to areas further out into the country.
Summary:
I visit Gy every year and I really enjoy it. As far as private sector development goes I see improvements every year. Regarding government infrastructure improvement I also see some but not fast enough. I see a improvements away from Georgetown but can’t help wondering why so many streets in Georgetown are in such bad shape and Georgetown so filthy.
However, even though Indos in Gy know of the corruption that exists they say they will still vote PPP. Their reasons are two fold from those in their late 30’s and over; 1) Despite the corruption, they say that they are still seeing progress and 2) They do not trust the alternative. This is why I feel that any real progressive future for Gy lie in the hands of the young, maybe 35 and under.
Blacks seem to feel alienated but one Black woman from Linden told me she actually liked Jagdeo but is very disappointed in him now. I asked her who she would like to see lead the country and she mentioned an Indian woman (indra?). I cannot remember the name. I said why not someone who is neither Afro nor Indo since that may make most happy and she said no. Her reason was that as a kid she and her Indo friends lived like sisters to the point of “biting on the same mango”. The racism that exists today in Gy, she feels, is taught in the home and she witnesses it all the time, she said, since she is a teacher. She feels that Guyanese should be Guyanese and not Afro or Indo or what have you.
I also see an effort to decentralize commercial activities away from Georgetown; there is a lot of economic activity around the Ogle airport. As a matter of fact the area from Liliendaal to Ogle, over the last 5 years or so, has become one huge campus with a lot of economic activity; the University, Teachers training college, high school, primary schools, Caricom Secretariat, Ogle international airport, Huge shopping mall (almost complete), International conference centre, hotel, condominium complex apartment buildings, many restaurants and supermarkets, proposed Movie Town complex (like in TT), International hotel and possibly the specialty hospital to be built in the area.
Also, politicians should really shut up about tourism in Guyana until the actually start doing something tangible about it instead of just lip service – frankly they talk too much and it’s laughable.
