Dear Editor,
Terry Pratchett once made a memorable and profound statement, which has been quoted and echoed by many at different times: “If you don’t know where you come from, then you don’t know where you are, and if you don’t know where you are, then you don’t know where you’re going.”
It emphasises the importance of understanding one’s origins and present circumstances to effectively plan for the future.
As a people we must always be aware of our past, which has shaped our present in terms of resources, challenges and opportunities. Furthermore, a lack of understanding of these will make it difficult to set meaningful goals or chart a course for the future. This interconnectedness of the past, present and future allows us to make informed decisions and pursue a fulfilling path in life not only as an individual but also as a nation. Many times we have failed to fully appreciate what has shaped our past and current situation, much to our detriment.
Many of us were fortunate to have lived in the pre-independence era under the PPP but unfortunately had to endure the dark period from 1964 to 1992. Then we were blessed again with the return to progress and democracy from 1992 to 2015, but then the sharp descent once again into severe socio-economic deprivations from 2015 to 2020 under the PNC disguised as the APNU/AFC Coalition.
Fortunately, we have once again enjoyed economic prosperity from 2020 to present. This roller coaster effect was difficult to endure but easy to discern. What we have seen is a strong correlation between economic prosperity and the PPP and a strong correlation between economic impoverishment and hardship for the Guyanese people with the APNU in Government.
This is the stark, undeniable reality.
Guyanese are aware of where we have come from, and some cannot feign ignorance. They are aware of this fact, and twice in the past they experienced the hardship and sufferings which the PNC (APNU/AFC) is capable of unleashing in a most unconscionable manner.
It can be verified through evidence that from 1964 to 1992 all the intervening elections were massively rigged in favour of the Burnham regime and then Hoyte’s – there was no respite.
I could recall vividly that apart from the ban and criminalisation of basic food items, the multitudes could not have afforded what was on the shelves. Butter and an oil-type cheese were luxury items and were severely rationed. You had to have the PNC Party card to access basic food items such as rice, powdered milk and cooking oil.
How many could remember the KSI and the Co-ops where the lines were unending and the PNC Party card spoke strongly with authority as to who will get and who will not? The barrels from abroad had to be rolling in regularly, so often with food and clothes to cover our backs.
Multitudes of young children ran naked or with rags, not out of fun but poverty, and many went to school barefooted. The suitcase traders did their bit to bring in items which were sold at exorbitant prices to those who could afford them.
Pregnant mothers were severely malnourished, and the mortality rate among new-borns was astronomical. White mouth affected many children and even adults.
Whilst remittances from abroad kept many families in Guyana alive, criminal activities such as ‘kick down door’ banditry and senseless murders were commonplace, as fear stalked the land and Guyanese fled in numbers to every part of the world.
The PNC had wanted to ‘feed, clothe and house’ the nation by 1976, but by then Guyanese could no longer afford to basically feed, clothe and house themselves in a decent manner, and this situation worsened throughout the 28 years of the PNC in Government, and Guyanese continued to be fed with slogans as the exodus of Guyanese continued unabatedly.
On October 5th, 1992, the first free and fair elections were held in Guyana since 1964, and the PPP/C won an overwhelming 53.45% of the votes. At this point in time Guyana was the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere (Stabroek News, 2nd December 1989), poorer than Haiti, and was among the most heavily indebted countries, but with excellent and sound socio-economic policies, by 2015 it had progressed to a middle-income country.
In addition, by 1992, Guyana was paying 100% of its GDP to service foreign loans, which amounted to USD $2.1 billion, and internal debt increased from GY $53 million in 1981 to GY $4.2 billion in 1991.
In 1993 the former Finance Minister, Mr Asgar Ally, clearly outlined the harsh realities which faced this nation in his budget speech. He stated that scheduled debt service was 100% of revenues to be collected – this is utter bankruptcy, and he summed it up explicitly when he made a graphic analogy: “The task we have inherited can be compared with that of a man who is required to climb a mountain with both his hands and feet tied and a heavy haversack on his back.”
But these challenges were resolved successfully through appropriate and sound economic policies.
Today, once again under the PPP/C, Guyana has progressed rapidly to be classified as an upper-middle-income country by the World Bank and is rated as the fastest-growing economy in the world.
In conclusion, Guyanese have had the opportunity to witness the APNU/AFC and the PPP/C in and out of Government, and the equation is simple: APNU/AFC = Destruction and Deprivation, PPP/C = Progress and Prosperity.
Therefore, we know where we have come from, we know where we are, and we know where we want to be tomorrow.
Guyanese can no longer afford to make the WRONG TURN.
Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf
