Connecting…with the people

There’s this criticism of leaders that they’re “disconnected” from the people they’re supposed to be leading. Well, you can accuse President Ali of any number of things, but THAT ain’t ever gonna be one of them!! The man is here, there, and everywhere – like the Scarlet Pimpernel of yore!! – mixing and mingling with the folks out there. He’s even broken the biggest barrier of all – the ethnic enclaves the Opposition insist are their transported property – and no trespassing!!
Linden? Lethem? Golden Grove, Buxton? Been there, done that – and then some!! The “some” being all sorts of challenges getting addressed; all sorts of initiatives launched to “bring Government to the people”!! Remember when he actually started to take the Office of the President on the road to every region?? That was the creation of our first movable presidency – which was a roaring success!! And why shouldn’t it be?? Governments are chosen by the citizenry to serve their needs, but once in office the tables are usually turned. From the amount of bowing and scraping demanded of ordinary folks when they meet those who’re now called “big ones” – you’d think the citizens had anointed them Kings of Kings!!
And to your Eyewitness, if nothing else, this will be Pres Ali’s biggest contribution to the political culture of Guyana!! That Government officials gotta be accessible to the citizen who put them into office!! Leaders must EARN their respect by SERVING those people and not DEMANDING it because they’ve been given a title. The latter simply describes the job they’re supposed to be doing for the people!! Minister of “Social Services”?? Well, just ensure that such services get delivered to the target group!! For instance, there shouldn’t be a single person on public assistance who doesn’t get their cheque every month. And from even a cursory walkabout, your Eyewitness knows that some such folks are still falling through the cracks.
Then there are the trappings that are used to signal one’s “bigness” and distance from the people. Your Eyewitness remembers a year ago, Pressie making a strong call to curb the rising misuse of sirens and flashing lights!! He demanded the immediate removal of these devices from unauthorised vehicles. He revealed that he’d already engaged with the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs about amending laws to introduce fines and the suspension of drivers’ licences for those caught using unauthorised lights. Your Eyewitness might’ve missed them – but were the regs amended?
While some perennial critics are complaining that Pressie’s “usurping” the position of his Ministers and local officials, they miss the point that the President’s forays wouldn’t have been necessary if those worthies had been doing their jobs!!
The officials – and Opposition – are getting dizzy!!

…with Oil
Did you notice now that we’ve got oil, friends are booming?! Eric Williams famously pointed out that “oil don’t spoil” …but Trinidad’s experience has shown that it does run out!! And the effects are just like if it were spoilt – no money coming into the treasury!! Well, so what’s the lesson?? Simply let’s not get too taken by the visitors from all over; let’s support Pressie’s development programme to make us self-sufficient while the oil’s flowing!!
With Exxon having us over a barrel (of oil??) with that contract the PNC’s Raphael Trotman signed, we gotta do the best on prices with what we have. Which is 14.5 per cent of the cost of oil. What we also need is to be protected from the vagaries of market prices – which aren’t set by supply and demand as most folks think – but by SPECULATORS who gamble on where they THINK supply’s gonna meet demand!! Hence the need for purchasers who need real – and not speculative – oil!!
Enter India, whose External Minister Jaishankar’s about to visit!!

…in agro-processing
With most money made on money, small countries like ours gotta add as much value to our agri-products as we can before exporting them. Enter agro-processing, which the Government’s pushing.
But we gotta go beyond the mom-and-pop operations!!