By Ryhaan Shah
The People’s National Congress (PNC) Government was a dictatorship in its first go-round with all the ills of State-sponsored thuggery and murder, party paramountcy, institutionalised racism, and financial corruptions all played their part in destroying Guyana. Now, in its first iteration, the current PNC Government led by Granger promises to return the country to that past.
Granger ignores even the façade of upholding the Constitution as he goes down the path of authoritarianism with all the attendant corruptions and depravities intact. As the rest of the world moves on to take advantage of new technologies and ways of doing business, Guyana is being dragged backward to relive a dark and dangerous past.
This puts a severe strain on the idea that our country is a democracy and our plight is better understood when you consider that we, the citizens, have only fallen creatures to choose from as our leaders. The exodus to northern shores as Guyanese flee to seek peace and prosperity elsewhere continues and successive governments have done nothing to reverse or even stem the outflow of some of our best and brightest.
The country continues to careen from crisis to crisis, whether from political corruption, criminal activity, road carnage, social ills such as domestic violence and rape, cultural dissonances, blackouts, etc. It’s a way of life to expect one horror after another and Government stands at the very centre of the maelstrom as the chief instigator of the depravities.
The crime wave continues unabated with 32 gun-related attacks in 35 days, and bandits rob school children, pensioners and even the blind as Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan appears unable to offer any policy directives to curb the assaults.
They say the civilisation of a country can be measured by how well it cares for its weakest members. As such, Guyana simply cannot make any claims to being civilised, especially after we all read that heart-rending letter written by Dr Mark Devonish about the inhumane treatment his terminally ill brother received at the hands of the “caregivers” at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The tragedy is that his letter to the press did not uncover any secrets but stated what we all know to be true about the level of “care” currently provided by the public health sector. Former GPHC CEO, Michael Khan, had made significant inroads in improving the standard of services at the Public Hospital but Granger replaced him for no good reason.
It was simply an act of ethnic cleansing to satisfy the PNC’s racist ethos. That is more important in Granger’s Guyana than providing good health care.
Now the GPHC is under the management of Granger’s pick of a retired Army Brigadier, and Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence who held a Christian Evangelical prayer service for the Christian staff of the GPHC recently. (And was this discriminatory act paid for with taxpayers’ dollars?)
Yet, for all the prayers offered, there is, apparently, no Christian compassion available at the hospital and the poor, who have no option but to depend on the services of the public health system, need all of our prayers – Hindu, Muslim, Bahai, etc – if they are to survive the uncaring attitude and lack of service.
Whether Granger wishes to own it or not, the GPHC’s crassness is what vulgarity looks like. It is not parliamentarians voicing opposition to Government policies but Government’s own actions and conduct which lead to cruelty, corruption and all manner of depraved behaviour.
On parade this coming week will be the fountainhead of all the depravities that taxpayers’ hard-earned money can buy in that vile wine-down called Mashramani. The nudity, back-balling, vulgar music and aesthetically poor float parade amount to an annual show of contempt for all decency by a section of the citizenry who are encouraged to participate in vulgarity.
The Constitution which establishes a framework for law, order, and public decency will once again be under attack by Government itself and the lawfulness and morality on which good governance and progressive nations are built will again be trampled underfoot by the road-top revellers.
And as if one day isn’t enough, Granger has moved to bestow a whole week of lawlessness to be paraded in May in the newfound Guyana Carnival.
But when you consider that corrupt governments thrive in such states since the dissolute and depraved are easier to manipulate and control – no one can ever take the moral high ground to point accusing fingers – everyone can understand why Granger needs to dispense as much bacchanalia as he possibly can.
As Martin Carter so aptly wrote: “All are involved/All are consumed.”
