Put down your drums! PPP leaders wouldn’t be jailed

Dear Editor,

Elections in Guyana have never been about ideas. From the days of rigging to the more recent times of race-baiting, Guyana has been devoid of any election – won or lost – based of critical thinking. Yet, every other day, someone is banging on a drum or writing in the dailies, or otherwise calling for action to be taken against those who raped our treasury.

There is this notion that this Administration will pursue some investigations, jail a few People’s Progressive Party (PPP) stalwarts and supporters and then come next elections, the PPP will lose big. And the drum beats are getting louder and louder. However, I am amazed at those making the calls. It is as if they are living in an ignorance-bubble or as if they are dwelling in a dream world.

I sat and listened very carefully to President David Granger on this matter. He was asked about his position on the audits. I even went and read the script on the interview.

The President was very clear when he said that the audits were firstly to lay a framework “for corrective action” to prevent the likelihood of such financial skullduggery and ethical adultery from ever happening again.

And then, “If” any are found guilty, they “could” be punished. It is very clear from how the President framed his response that the main reasons for the extensive audits are not to determine culpability for the financial atrocities.

So those who are constantly calling for arrests and imprisonment and embarrassment of the PPP folks, had better save their breaths. It is this Government that is paying the hefty sums for the audits.

Yet those calling for the President to take action are behaving as if they are the ones telling the President what is going on. News flash! The President knows of the findings long before you do. And he has spoken on the matter already.

It might appear to some that the President is running a one man show. He most definitely is not. Only recently, he said his release of young offender is not reckless.

He went on to explain that he works on the advice of those he respects. Similarly, one would have to assume that when it comes to operationalising the culpability of the audits, his attitude is governed by his advisers. One would have to be very narrow-minded and politically biased to think that the guilt parties of those audits will rest solely with the PPP members.

It would take a simpleton to conclude that only persons in the last Administration stole the people’s money. Crime and corruption in Guyana are not only systematic, they are endemic. It is how Guyana does business.

And it is how the successive Governments have been doing business for a long time. So any in-depth investigation of any of those audits is likely to have tentacles reaching right into the halls of the current Administration. And they might go high and far.

So while I do not agree with the President’s reasoning and reluctance on these matters, I understand his caution. This Government cannot deal with any more scandals.

I remember Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo saying to the Government Ministers, “You tell the people how much money ya’ll got, and I will tell them how much I got.” I am shocked that no one has called his bluff. So for all those banging drums and calling on President Granger to “Do Something!” he will not and he already told you so.

So if you think the next election will be won by the coalition because the PPP leaders are all in jail, or if you think the coming elections will be based on ideas, or concepts, or critical thinking, or any of those mushy stuff, think again. The next election will be based on who could get out their racial base, plus some of those in the interior. Now go put down your drum.

Sincerely,

Pastor Wendell

Jeffrey

Practical Christianity

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