Glen Lall did a lot of begging, demanding that the Guyanese people stay at home last Monday, July 31. Overwhelmingly, the Guyanese people paid no attention to him. A couple of months ago, Glen Lall’s across-the-country walk to demand renegotiation of the EXXON contract failed. No more than a handful of persons walked, and other than one man, no one walked for more than a few miles, not even Glen Lall, who was present for a small amount of time, driving his Lexus.
We heard of a “fast” against the EXXON contract. Other than the big splash announcing the “fast”, we never heard anything again.
The Opposition and their sycophants have gone stark crazy because their nightmare – Bharrat Jagdeo – far from disappearing, has become even more unbearable for them. Everything that goes badly in Guyana is Jagdeo’s fault, if you listen to the Opposition and their sycophants. Rain falls and cricket is affected, or sugar factories cannot grind, it is because of Bharrat Jagdeo. West Indies under-performs, it has to be because Jagdeo interfered. Every road accident today is Jagdeo’s fault. The bad EXXON deal which the Opposition signed and was not bad until the PPP regained Government is Bharrat Jagdeo’s fault. Not one of the sycophants made noise about the bad EXXON deal until President Irfaan Ali was sworn in, leading a PPP Government. Now the one-sided EXXON deal is Jagdeo’s fault.
Two newspapers recently allowed the former Mayor of Georgetown to insult the Vice President without providing one iota of evidence for his many allegations. The former Mayor claimed that Bharrat Jagdeo suffers from moral decline, abuses power, engages in political manipulation, practises cronyism, disregards the environment. He further accuses Bharrat Jagdeo of corruption, with embezzlement, bribery and kickbacks. In none of these allegations did the former mayor provide any evidence, even an example. Yet the two newspapers gave the former mayor a platform to spew his hate. A newspaper cannot allow itself to be a platform for personal attacks.
If the former mayor claimed that Bharrat Jagdeo is responsible for environmental degradation, then he must provide examples of environmental degradation that Bharrat Jagdeo is responsible for. If he accuses Jagdeo of embezzlement, or that he allows embezzlement in Government, provide an example. No newspaper should permit anyone to just accuse people without any evidence or what they perceive as evidence. In the former mayor’s attack on Jagdeo, it is just hate-spewed name-calling insults. This is not a freedom of speech or freedom of the press issue.
Bharrat Jagdeo was named Champion of the Earth because of his record of environmental protection. It was under his presidency that meaningful financing of the EPA began. The LCDS has gained international plaudit. The conceptualization of the LCDS, the leadership to initiate a low-carbon strategy, the strategy to market Guyana’s carbon reservoir, resulting in the first-ever bilateral avoided deforestation deal between Guyana and Norway worth $US250M, the first ever global carbon credit authentication through the ART-TREES framework, part of which was used to generate US$750M and remaining amount that could raise almost US$2B more for the period up to 2030 are just a short list of examples that show that Bharrat Jagdeo earned his title as Champion of the Earth. Dismissing Jagdeo as irresponsible and the cause of environmental disregard and degradation without making your case, and being given a platform in the newspaper, is reprehensible; and that is exactly what the two newspapers did.
Bharrat Jagdeo was the Minister of Finance and then President who expertly managed Guyana’s debt, inherited from the PNC, the former mayor’s party, which was more than 800% Guyana’s GDP, and a servicing of the debt that was more than 150% of our export earnings.
Today, Guyana transformed itself from a bankrupt country in 1992 to the fastest growing country in the world, from a HIPC to a high-income developing country. Guyana’s debt (23% of GDP) is now among the lowest in the world, and Guyana’s debt servicing (4% of earnings) is also among the lowest in the world. But, for this success story, the Opposition and their sycophants desperately try to portray a picture of a country on a debt spree.
It is Bharrat Jagdeo as President of Guyana who started the modernization of the physical infrastructure, the health and education sectors, water and sanitation in our country. The Berbice, Mahaicony, and Mahaica River bridges were commissioned by President Bharrat Jagdeo. The construction of a new Demerara River bridge, which President Irfaan Ali has pushed, started under President Bharrat Jagdeo. Discussions to link Guyana, Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela through bridges were initiated by Bharrat Jagdeo. The Takutu Bridge linking Guyana and Brazil was a deal worked out between Jagdeo and Brazil’s Lula. While it did not happen, the bridge on the Corentyne River linking Guyana and Suriname is about to happen under President Irfaan Ali. The expanded and modern Cheddi Jagan International Airport was initiated by Bharrat Jagdeo. New hospitals were started under Bharrat Jagdeo, and now newer and more modern hospitals are being constructed with Bharrat Jagdeo playing a pivotal role in President Ali’s cabinet.
Bharrat Jagdeo has mobilised his country, and, in partnership with President Ali, has inspired a nation and has grabbed the attention of the world. This is the nightmare of the Opposition and their sycophants.
