Dear Editor,
This caretaker Government is disrespectful and shameless by trying fool and mislead the people of Guyana by using the re-broadcast “swearing-in ceremony of David Granger on May 16, 2015”. This is distasteful, this is clear evidence of a visionless caretaker Government with no tangible achievements to show Guyanese citizens for the past five years.
The people of Guyana need to see the televised vote recount instead of reminding people of a past that failed everyone.
APNU/AFC coalition continues to boast of major significant feats when the reality has been five years of failures and broken promises. This was a Government of so much corruption, breach of financial laws and spending irregularities that had racked up over 80 scandals since taking office in 2015. The People’s Progressive Party has been monitoring the APNU/AFC coalition Government’s use of public funds and the levels of transparency and accountability from June 2015 through May 2020, over 80 and counting scandals have been uncovered. Guyanese, all these scandals are there for public viewing
On September 25, 2015, of the Official Gazette, it was revealed that the Prime Minister and all Government Ministers have received a salary increase, way above what was offered to public servants in 2015.
The salary increases were effective within weeks – by July 1, 2015 – of the coalition Government taking office. The salary increases were done quietly and exposed via local media reports.
Mr Nagamootoo, at the top of the earning bracket, earns $20.6 million. Senior Ministers had their pay packets doubled from $6.9 million to $10.5 million. Junior Ministers are paid $8.3 million. House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland, also benefited and his salary was upped from $6.9 million to $10.4 million.
While salary increases were also offered to all Members of Parliament (MPs). It must be noted that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) MPs have deducted the increases, which are currently in a local bank account, and the monies were earmarked for charitable undertakings.
This is a Government that came to power with so many promises of a good life that have turned out to be the most unimaginative since Guyana’s independence on May 26, 1966. The APNU laudable vision outlined in its election manifesto 2015 has not been translated into policy. It stumbles from one political error to another. It was a coalition Government that governs without any understanding of its people’s needs. it was clear the after three years in Government, it was all a charade and Guyana was back to square one where the people were again showing signs of “hopelessness” and being tired of Guyana’s politics and the APNU /AFC politicians.
“Promise delivered” was the catchphrase being used by the APNU/AFC coalition Government on social media sites as it continues to claim some measure of success. After over four years in office, the success is so non-existent that the coalition has resorted to ‘lifting’ images from other online publications and rebranding them as its own – to show ‘success’. The Coalition Government at one time claimed that a promise was delivered to “provide better access to potable water and improved sanitation to all Guyanese” and a photograph used by an online blog was used to bolster this claim. The coalition Government claimed that a promise was delivered relative to “creating jobs in the oil and gas industry” but in that same breath, over 30,000 jobs were lost across this country. Declarations made by the coalition Administration of its successes during its tenure in office is far from the truth. There are multiple lies to Guyanese about its long list of achievements. When the average Guyanese tries matching those with the reality of life on the ground, they find variance similar to what we now see unfolding with the recount and Mingo’s flagrant declaration.
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is extremely perturbed at the most recent statements reported in the media attributed to GECOM’s Commissioner, Vincent Alexander, and AFC’s General Secretary, David Patterson, with regard to the ongoing National Recount of the General and Regional Elections – two senior members of the APNU/AFC made statements which suggest that instead of the conclusive result of the recount being accepted by GECOM as the final declaration of the elections for the swearing-in of the new President and new Government, the Commission should accept the declaration of the Chief Elections Officer based on the declaration of the Returning Officer for District Four which is currently held in abeyance by the gazetted order for National Recount. Their pronouncements are in direct contravention to the commitment President Granger give to the nation that he will accept the results of the recount as the final declaration of the 2020 elections. This is the same Administration that refused a renewed United States diplomatic push for The Carter Center to be allowed to return to observe the recount of the votes cast at the March 2 polls, citing Caricom’s ongoing role in the process and the closure of the airports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Who are these people? The Carter Center was duly accredited and has a right to be here.
Guyanese, it is obvious that the APNU and David Granger have something up their sleeve. In the absence of a large presence of international observers, the coalition will attempt to do something that is wrong.
We have a serious extra use of powers, where People’s Progressive Party/Civic supporters who were protesting in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Road, Georgetown, on Saturday morning ended with the arrest of a man for breaching the gazetted COVID-19 measures.
The Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic supporters staged protest action outside the Ministry following the Government’s refusal to allow The Carter Center team to return and observe the National Recount of votes.
We are seeing it daily, as they continue to drown, they are grabbing at every straw to stay afloat, but those who witness a drowning man will know that after three tries gasping for breath, on the fourth try, you are likely to stay down. Guyanese, we must stand up for what is right and keep what we are fighting for.
Sincerely,
David Adams
