The regime’s full-scale attack on the poor

Dear Editor,

The APNU/AFC regime has of late taken several actions that are obviously ill-advised and have severely impacted the poor class of people in our country.

According to several media reports, the Georgetown M&CC have removed vendors from Robb Street, between Alexander and Bourda Streets.

These vendors have plied their trade in this area for many years and this is their sole source of income for themselves and their families. Many of these vendors are single mothers, hustling hard to put food on the table for their children. Now, without warning and/or consultation they are being removed by the bullish actions of the Town Clerk, Royston King.

Deputy Mayor, Sherod Duncan, who was at the time acting as Mayor in the absence of Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, has issued a public statement saying he is unaware of the directive to remove the vendors.

President David Granger and several ministers are on record as stating that the regime is not responsible for finding jobs for the people. The President urged them to become entrepreneurs and create their own jobs.

The Bourda Market vendors did not have to be so advised. Most of them have been vending their goods for years. They are self-employed and some even create employment for others.

At a time when the economy is grinding to a halt and unemployment is on the rise, the City Council has taken the malicious initiative to take away the livelihood of these hardworking people.

No employment is being created by the regime. Indeed, all their measures being implemented thus far target small producers and micro-businesses.

This is the same group the regime talks about promoting. But their actions speak the opposite, discouraging development of this sector.

At the time of going to press, it was reported that the City Council backed down due to the militant protests of the vendors.

The small entrepreneurs are feeling the brunt of the regime’s heavy-handed policies. A case in point is the dilemma a young farmer at Strathhavon, East Coast Demerara experienced at the heavy hands of the regime.

Hamekarran Narine, like other cash-crop farmers, planted his crops on an unused plot of the government reserve. (Cash crop farming is done with the imperative that if the government wants the land, they can have it after the harvest). For some reason, Narine was singled out and his garden was weeded down.

Some two thousand bearing bora plants were destroyed by a stone hearted administration. The poor man was not even allowed to reap his crop. When he protested this dastardly action, he was allegedly told to ‘go and thief.’ This gentleman has a wife and three children to provide for.

These are not stories in isolation. These actions are a continuation of a regime fixated with order. It is a reflection of the militarisation of the state. Order at all cost! It does not matter if employment is not available. It does not matter that the government is doing nothing to encourage employment. Those self-employed persons are being destroyed.

The President and his ministers’ words are sounding very hollow when they speak of people creating their own jobs. When this is done, these ‘jobs’ are being taken away in the most vicious manner. These vindictive actions will also exacerbate the serious social problems we are facing.

Every day we read in the press of multiple robberies taking place throughout Guyana. These actions will further fuel the criminal spiral in our country. Guyana is sinking in a sea of incompetence and corruption. The working class is being stifled and entrepreneurship is being destroyed.

The regime is leading us back to a time of grave economic crises and a collapsing social sector.

Sincerely,

Donald Ramotar

Former President