Cummingsburg Accord – A recipe for disaster!

Dear Editor,
The chaos that we now face in the coalition Government is largely as a result of the lack of performance of AFC Ministers and their appointed party hacks –- who are totally incompetent and useless to the people of Guyana.
Anyone who studies closely the contributions of AFC Ministers, the Prime Minister and their other personnel will conclude that they have brought utter chaos and disaster to the first coalition Government, after the “colonial fix “ (PNC-UF) by the British to get rid of Stalinist Jagan and the PPP.
Apart from the mishandling of the crime situation –- by the designated Minister – there is the recent case where Moses Nagamootoo, in his capacity as Acting President, at the time, desperately tried to take over the united trade unions’ march on May Day. This writer was a witness to this act of petty dictatorship and shamelessness!
I have never seen such a level of stupidity by a person who was – at the time – acting as the President of Guyana, following the departure of David Granger, abroad. This display of arrogance is enough to tell the Guyanese people about the type of party (AFC) and leadership we are dealing with. The President, David Granger, will never think of doing such a thing. Nagamootoo’s performance has brought the institution of Prime Minister into disrepute. It was an utter disgrace to see such “low -level” tactics.
The unity achieved on May Day between the two trade union blocs – the Guyana Trades Union Congress ((TUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana ( FITUG), began seven years ago between the officials of GAWU and officials of the TUC. The discussion was initiated by this writer (Jinnah Rahman), when he invited the veteran PPP and GAWU educationalist – Navin Chandarpaul, and Norris Witter, who was at the time Acting General Secretary of the TUC, for talks with hope of uniting the workers of Guyana.
Mr Nagamootoo and his cohorts had no interest in the unity of the working class in Guyana. He played no role in any mass movement in Guyana. He has always been a rank opportunist. A top source in the PPP said that Mr Nagamootoo was a correspondent with the Novista Press Agency, a Russian news outfit. The source claimed that he should have paid a part of the money to the PPP. No one knows if he did.
The APNU must break out from the shackles of this so-called “Cummingsburg Accord” and place competent people to run these important ministries and in other positions. No longer must we allow these “power hunger” lunatics to bind us to a useless piece of document that is likely to spell huge disaster for our country. The AFC did not contribute to winning seats at the last Local Government Elections. The Accord must be renegotiated to coincide with the daily deficit of the AFC.
AFC Ministers have been looking to make a “quick buck”, since they are convinced that this will be their last chance in Government. One Minister has made it clear when he told friends: “I want to make as much as I can and run”.
In agriculture, we have had the biggest failure in the history of the country. The appointment of Noel Holder – who admitted that he knows nothing about the rice industry and sugar. Hein turn appointed officials to the Rice Board, who are equally bankrupt of ideas and incapable of carrying out the Manifesto promises on the rice industry. This is all the doing of the AFC – since it has been given the Ministry of Agriculture – for political reasons – under the Cummingsburg Accord.
The Tourism and Telecommunications Ministry under Cathy Hughes has not done better. She has failed miserably to do the very basics. The road signs in and around the city are not visible or don’t exist, roads are bad, and many streets are not properly lit or have no lights at nights. Public places, bars, and restaurants are unhygienic, unsafe and many of them do not meet the required standard – as set out in law. The Sanitary Inspectors are reportedly bribed or pay scant regard to the health and safety regulations.
Those of us who made the ultimate sacrifices to place the coalition in power – now demand the highest standards all around, open and regular consultation and accountability from all elected and appointed officials of this Government. We cannot go back to the Jagdeo-PPP to better things. The PPP has brought Guyana to its knees!
The Guyanese people – here and abroad – deserve better governance. Our President, who campaigned for a better life for all Guyanese, must act swiftly against all the defaulters of our Manifesto Commitment, before it is too late.

Sincerely,
Jinnah Rahman