Dear Editor,
A few persons contacted me assuming the Muhammed Mustapha who signed a letter appearing in sections of the media was me. To clear up any misunderstanding, I felt it necessary that I share my position on the matters raised in the letter in order for the public to know my views.
The letter appearing under the title “Still a chance for APNU/AFC regime to come good” made interesting reading and had me wondering from which story book it came. It seems, from the letter, that the ‘author’ is living in a fool’s paradise completely disconnected from the realities of our times.
He begins arguing that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was not able to convince 51 per cent of the electorate to vote for that party. But the letter writer seems to forget that the 2015 elections results were disputed and currently action by the PPP/C has been stymied in the Judiciary. One has to wonder why this is so. Certainly, if the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) were so confident of itself and its victory, it would join the calls for the Elections Petition matter to be heard in a speedy manner. Clearly, it’s not far-fetched to imagine that the Administration does not want the Guyanese people to know about how it truly won the polls. Many persons were deceived by the propaganda and the APNU/AFC promises of the moon and stars. But today, two and half years down the road, what have Guyanese gotten? Many promises have been dashed, heavier tax burdens placed on our backs, we see a contracting economy and face all-round hardship.
Mr Mustapha then says the PPP/C Councillors are engaged in corrupt practices at the Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) level. But wasn’t it just a few weeks ago, two AFC leaders in the region came to blows over the payment for contracts which from media reports were not free of corruption. Moreover, the RDC and the Tender Board are bi-partisan and, therefore, awarding of contracts and decision-making involve all the political parties. Thus in this respect, if there are indeed corrupt practices, it could very well involve a cross-section of Councillors. It seems the letter writer is merely huffing and puffing and serving propaganda ends.
The author also says that the PPP/C was aware that the PetroCaribe rice deal would have come to an end in 2015. This is a matter that former Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy has conclusively and effectively debunked. The fact that the lucrative contract was ended was in no small part due to the aggressive posture adopted by the APNU/AFC towards Venezuela. But Mr Mustapha, a persistent question is: what happened to the promised 00 per bag of paddy? Also, what happened to the highly-touted Mexican rice market? Weren’t those to make the farmers lives better? Today, the stark reality is there for all to see, farmers are hard-pressed to meet their obligations, if at all, and rice production has contracted significantly eroding the nation’s foreign exchange earnings and placing the lives of thousands connected to the rice industry to face an uncertain future.
While Mr Mustapha decries about putting our eggs in one basket, he did not go on to indicate that this is exactly what the APNU/AFC is seeking to do. Today, our traditional industries which provided and still provide employment, helped us to weather the storms in rough times, and made no small contribution to development and progress are being deemed as curses. And all we hear is oil, oil and more oil. The fact remains there are many unanswered questions surrounding oil and assumptions being made seem far-fetched. Remember Mr Mustapha, all that a glitter is not gold.
We continue to see blunder after blunder committed by the Administration which have reversed years of progress and in that process made our people’s life worse off. All the talk about a ‘Good Life’ has all but vanished and replaced with a sense of hopelessness, despair and uncertainty.
Sincerely,
Zulfikar Mustapha
(real me)
PPP/C Member of
Parliament
