Let the election be called and the electorate decide

Dear Editor,
Finance Minister Jordan is quickly surpassing Prime Minister Nagamootoo when it comes to spinning yarn. On June 24, it was reported by the Department of Public Information that Jordan boasted that, “every household will benefit from a robust economy…once the economy is growing the average housewife or worker can expect better payment, and if that economy is growing with low inflation, they can also expect stable prices”. This is just another “figment of his imagination”. This illusion was sparked by the IMF Report which projected that Guyana’s economy will grow by 4.4 per cent in 2019. The Minister also emphasised that the IMF Report also indicated a steady economic growth since 2015. He then concluded that “just a short while back there was the Carnival in Guyana and over that week you did not have a single complaint about money not flowing…the restaurants, the side vendor, the taxi driver, and everyone, even the Private Sector, was moved to indicate that indeed things were happening in the economy…”.
What Jordan should realise is that in his Budget 2019 speech he had announced that real economic growth is expected to be 4.6 per cent and with the current unstable political climate, it is going to get a lot worse. It may even be lower than the 3.6 per cent growth in 2018. This was emphasised by the Caribbean Development Bank which warned of such a negative impact and this was echoed by a number of Chambers of Commerce across the country. While the appointment of GECOM’s Chairperson is a positive move in the right direction, the high level of uncertainty with regards to the resignation of Cabinet and the calling of General Elections within the 3-month timeframe is creating havoc in the Private Sector as businesses operate in gripping suspense. The CDB Report had emphatically stated that “Guyana is on the verge of a sharp increase in economic growth, but immediate prospects partly depend on ending political uncertainty”. Will Jordan’s caretaker Government be able to remove this uncertainty so that Guyanese can finally live their dreams in their homeland? Perhaps he should also take a deep look at the Bank of Guyana Report which highlights the worsening of the balance of payments and an increase in borrowing to augment the wasteful spending.
Moreover, it boggles the mind that according to Jordan, a week of “Carnival” in Guyana can be an indicator that “things were happening in the economy” when over 30,000 persons are jobless, including 7000 sugar workers, when increased taxation is sharply cutting the disposal income of employees, when the prices of food items and fuel are going up (Bank of Guyana Report), youth employment is soaring, the health sector is falling apart, and the poverty gap is widening. This Minister, being an economist, should seriously ponder upon the words of Aristotle, “One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly, one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy”.
In addition, the Finance Minister must not lose sight of the fact that even though the report indicated a steady economy since 2015, there has also been a steady decline in the “good life” of the Guyanese masses which resulted in the successful passing of the No-Confidence Motion against Jordan’s Government which has now been relegated to caretaker status! I will invite Jordan to visit Region Six and other rural areas and walk the streets and he will come face to face with the people dancing to the ‘Carnival of poverty’. Whilst there may be economic growth, that has to transform into economic development and that has not been happening due to widespread and escalating corruption, mismanagement and squandering on good life for the ‘boys’.
Perhaps the Finance Minister should have looked at the Auditor’s General Report 2017 wherein it is stated that for the fiscal year 2017, more than $1 billion taxpayers’ dollars have been lost in overpayments to contractors, payments of goods and services without any vouchers, and payments for good that were not delivered. This does not include the billions lost through substandard works which resulted from kickbacks to Government officials. It must be realised that financial resources are borrowed in order to supplement the budget and this means an additional burden to the taxpayers. Furthermore, it is sickening to note that many recommendations in the audit report have not been implemented to put a halt to this daylight robbery. Perhaps he should also look closely at some projects such as the CJIA and the D’Urban Park fiasco. Since 2017, the situation has deteriorated and gotten worse. It is now clear that taxpayers are paying more for less!
Finally, the Guyanese people can no longer tolerate the abysmal failure of the coalition and the total destruction of the economy. Let the election be called and the electorate decide. Once was enough!

Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf