WHAT WE SHOULD THANK MR.GRANGER FOR
It is human nature to forget the 99% good that someone has done and only focus on the 1% negatives. This is more pronounce when the person in question is a public figure. That magnified the expectations and the negatives. I have alway been and still is an avid supporter of Mr. Granger despite my harsh criticism of his actions during the elections impasse. I remain resolutely convince that he should step aside from politics as he focus on academia. In my humble opinion, his handing of the election saga lay bare his lack of testicular fortitude, a killing instinct and an ability to self sacrifice. These are just a few qualities of a great leader for which Mr. Granger is not.
Having said that I do believe that he has done quite a lot in just one term. To begin with he brought dignity to the office. A dignity and respect which was lacking under the PPP. Further he brought honesty. Too honest I may say. PPP 23yrs was a period of grand corruption which was evident in Guyana being at the base of the Transparency International Corruption Index. In five years Guyana moved to mid-table. This was the greatest jump for any country. Under PPP Guyana was blacklisted by the EU. Under Mr. Granger, Guyana was removed from that blacklist and in the process making international business transactions easier.
In the area of health a Guyana made massive progressive under Mr. Granger. Under PPP maternal mortality and infant mortality were out of control. Under Mr. Granger those numbers fell significantly. Water ambulances and maternity houses were some of the innovation contributing to this. Massive investments were made in both our peripheral hospitals and main hospitals. CT scans were installed at our peripheral hospitals. Ultrasound scans were also made available. In Berbice, patients no longer needed to travel to Georgetown for blood test. A 24hrs laboratory at the Mahaicony Hospital made this possible. All this is a reflection of the visionary in Mr. Granger. Introducing patient centred care in Guyana. Further under PPP patients were doubling up on beds. Under Mr. Granger this was discontinued. Each patient now have their own bed and cupboard. Further it was under Mr. Granger that communication for health professionals was introduced. This was critical because of the number of complaints from patients about staff poor communication. The management of COVID-19 was by far much better on Mr. Granger. Under the PPP the death and infection rates have increased exponentially. This is down to a lack of a coherent policy. Also under Mr. Granger the COVID Hospital was built. That’s a reflection of Mr. Granger’s proactive thinking. There was further plan to build a trauma centre at GPHC and take health care to another level.
Financial benefits for all was absolutely amazing. Under PPP minimum wage was $36,000. In five years that was increased by over 100% to $75,000 under Mr. Granger stewardship. Daily he spoke of liveable wage. Pension under Mr. Granger increased from $7000 to $20,000 in 5 years. That’s was a remarkable achievement when one considers that it stood static under PPP. Furthermore, under Mr. Granger Guyana has had an average economic growth of 4%. Growth every year of his Presidency. Mr . Granger had plans for a decade of further development when re-elected. He was but lacked the inner fight to own it.
Public works was probably the better of the Ministries. Many bridges built. Many roads built. Many overhead bypass built. Many hospital built. Courts built. Schools built. Health Care professional accommodations built. Roads built. Many Interior roads built. Amerindian accommodations built. Housing for abused women built. But most importantly, a hanging gallows built for PPP to hang themselves which they are now doing.
Social cohesion was a brilliant initiative by Mr. Granger. The race hating that we are witnessing today is a reflective of the work done by this Ministry which is presently not being done. Under Mr. Granger the ERC members were literally bored without complaints. Under PPP the complaints are mountainous moreso from one of the ERC members.
The thankless Amerindians have much to be grateful for. Mr Granger built their roads. He gave them houses. He gave them school buses, bicycles and roads. He gave them internet. He gave them electricity and water. Mr. Granger basically gave them everything to build their community. Apparently that was not what they wanted. They simply wanted $5000 from PPP. $5000 for their votes. Sadly Mr. Granger did not gave them common sense. PPP neglected them for 23yrs but all they needed was pittance and race indoctrination to vote PPP.
Education made massive strides under Mr. Granger. Better performances in Grade vi examination. More student leaving school with at least 5 subjects. More passes in maths and english. Improve performance in the interior which is a direct reflection of Mr. Granger’s policies.
Policing was vastly different under Mr. Granger. The police force was not used as political instruments to intimidate PPP. There was no extrajudicial or political killings. Serious crime was on the decrease albeit the police still struggle to solve crime . The police force was a professional unit under Mr. Granger. The citizenry had freedom of assembly and protest. Many black men are alive today because of Mr. Granger. One lady made treats to assassinate Mr. Granger and was brought before the courts. Mr Granger forgave and told her to sin no more. Many prisoners were pardon. A compassionate leader he is.
Overall Mr. Granger’s 5 years in office was a massive success. I would humbly gave him 7.5/10. In my opinion he lost many marks due to his mishandling of the post election impasse. As a person I do still hold Mr. Granger in high regard and would be forever grateful for all he did for the Guyanese people.
Caveat, all that I have written I did so in 30 minutes, off my head. I am sure there is much more that I likely missed.
