Dear Editor,
This “PNCoalition” went into office on a lie and motivated by much political spite. After continuing the PPP’s efforts to confound the sugar industry by moving to prematurely close some of its sugar estates, the Government is now trying to create the impression of saving it by belatedly approaching external expertise. The question is, what can you expect Czarnicov to tell them after they just about destroyed the sugar industry in the first place? Let’s see.
The Minister of State probably stands as the only Minister in the current Administration who seems to be managing his portfolio in a capable manner. He will unfortunately watch his Government fail because of the incompetence of the very ministers under him. This is the practice of PNC lackeyism over which he very probably has no control. Times have changed, Mr Harmon! After 32 years, Guyanese are now ahead by a generation of education. ‘Not to be fooled by ministerial/political incompetents’ was the major course completed.
Carrying the protest on education VAT to the AFC is the right thing in principle, but it’s barking up the wrong tree. Although the AFC was supposed to be the political balance, the real steam has to be carried at the place of origination and baptism of this nonsense – the Finance Ministry and Congress Place. I still am amazed that we have bought into VAT on water and electricity.
The perennial ruckus over the GPSU with Yarde’s persistent hold on power in the GPSU over the years says that something very wrong is going on at this organisation. His own ineffectiveness is clear enough indication that the GPSU needs new leadership…
Caught in the vice of its own incompetence, the “PNCoalition” is now carrying out personal vendettas against the PPP. This is the kind of limited capacity that is a part of the PNCoalition we had been hoping against hope would deliver the change needed. The Coalition isn’t interested in doing what was supposed to have been done.
They’re creating political fodder to mask their gross incompetence across all the functional areas of Government. You name it – health, education, finance, municipalities, natural resources – this is no joke, but a serious indictment of the performance of the Coalition, and is a precursor to what we can expect in the remainder of its term… Guyanese have to prepare for the long haul into 2020… If the PNCoalition aren’t going to recall the 2017 budget, they’re going to continue to wreak havoc on the economy to maintain political control.
The recent declarations by two of our major commercial banks only underline what has already been pointed out in the public domain – the economy has slowed down. People cut down on their consumption patterns by the end of 2016, and the VAT in the 2017 budget is continuing to shrink their appetite. We can be sure that businesses took a beating this first half.
Will it improve in the second? We can expect a kick at Christmas time and maybe some spending in August, but that’s it. And the Finance Minister can go abroad and curse the Private Sector for not taking more risks. The things you can say on a podium. Well, Mr Granger can keep that man right there. Do not let him loose. This Administration is very well destined to be booted in 2020. There’s nothing to be done about it, because, unfortunately, the politics of the PNC, like the PPP, happens to be the problem.
Yours faithfully,
Lance Cumberbatch
