Dear Editor,
For the young people of Guyana, this election season is more than just a political event. It is a time where your choices contribute to shape this country’s future which in return impacts you and your family, especially with Guyana being on a verge of transformational change. Five years ago, I became eligible to vote at the General and regional elections. This made me even more curious to examine who would secure my vote. These are the questions I asked myself: How will my vote impact my community especially the most vulnerable? What are the party’s track records in terms of development in key sectors like health, education and the economy and have they delivered on it? Have I fact-checked the narrative they speak on? These are the first set of questions you should also ask yourself. Confidently, after reading the various manifestos I placed my trust in the PPP/C’s regime in 2020 and it is my view that they have delivered beyond. It is very visible though many may want to stifle their conscience. In fact, what the PPP/C has demonstrated was stern commitment to building a better nation after inheriting the economy in a state of neglect. This administration is the only one that has delivered on all of its manifesto promises. From major infrastructural investments to institutional strengthening, their work reflects a broader vision that demonstrated love for people of all class and corners of this country. Many will come to you with “sweet” words, “good gyaffs” and promises but those does not mean anything or should not be a factor of assurance. Look for tangible contributions and ask them about their track records. Look at what happened in 2015 for instance. Elections is all of our business and this is the time to scrutinise each political contestant and carefully appoint them. Apart from track record, take into consideration the repercussion of what would happen if a democratic country with oil riches were to get a President who is sanctioned by the US Government. We would end up like countries like Venezuela, Sudan and Iran. This would shake us up as a country. It means that we would endure major international fallouts like financial restrictions especially when the sanctions are imposed by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) since these go beyond just targeting an individual. We would face blocked access to the US Banking system, Derisking by international banks, Restrictions on sovereign debt and credit ratings to name a few. Note, that this is not all, we will face investment freeze in which the country is likely to collapse in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Multi nationals may even withdraw or suspend operations to avoid entanglements with such people. We may also pay endure increased reliance on domestic borrowing since we will now be unable to borrow externally which intern can lead to major hyperinflation. And these are just a few on a macro level. Let alone if we do decide to dive into the micro- economic side of things. September 1st is an important date in this country because your voices, concerns and future are directly tied to the decisions being made. You have that power. And by exercising that power you are strengthening democracy, advocating for marginalised voices, setting the tone for the next five years. Remember your future is on that ballot. Make the right choice. Ignore the outside noise.
Regards,
Sachin Persaud
