…but isn’t the economy?
With the entire Tribe of Economists – especially the elite mega-salaried ones in the developed countries – caught with their pants down when their financial system catastrophically collapsed in 2008 – you’d think politicians would be a bit sceptical about their prognostications. Not with the Guyanese movers and shakers of our economy, however.
Your Eyewitness has made this point so many times before that his outstretched hands supplicating the grey-bearded fella in the sky are now fixed in that posture. Just months after the elections the business community started to make noises about the economy “slowing down”. “Not to worry!!” exclaimed the Finance Minister. “Just post elections jitters – everything’s gonna be all right! The IMF says our economy’s growing!”
When everything DIDN’T get “all right”, the businessmen again pointed out to the Government perchance they might consider injecting some budgetary “stimulus”. After all public servants hadn’t gotten their promised raises which they could’ve spent to accomplish that task. “Not to worry!” said Pressie. “The IMF economists tell us we’re the only economy that’s growing. Never mind the six sick sisters. Folks gonna find money to spend at Christmas – regardless.”
With Christmas sales flat and the economy still crippled, the business community raised their voices in unison this time – through their Associations and produced numbers to show “things na regulah” when it came to money circulating and lubricating the economy. The Minister of Business now joined his colleague in the Finance Ministry and told the gathered businessmen, in so many words, they didn’t know what they were talking about. The economists at the IMF had once again assured the Government “everything’s all hunky dory!”
Well now that the year’s half over and sales still slip-sliding away, the businessmen decided to do a survey – which showed that their revenues had declined by 30-40%!!! Now that’s not a “decline” – but an economy in free fall! So guess what the Business Minister – who was just given another portfolio, Tourism – said? That’s right! In a fine imitation of the captain of the Titanic, he asserted, “Not to worry, The economy’s not in crisis!”
As others – such as the Opposition Leader – have pointed out, this proclivity to lap up the opinions of “outsiders” as gospel, and deny the empirical evidence of locals, isn’t confined to maters economic…But in the latter case, the results could literally mirror the experience of the Titanic….but this time it will be a whole country deep-sixed.
The irony is economics likes to call itself “the queen of the social sciences” because it claims it is “evidence based”.
Will the powers that be please look at the evidence on the economy themselves?
…it’s leaking!
One of the weirdest developments in Guyana that for some reason hasn’t gotten its fair share of coverage has been unfolding in Region 5. No…not the flood – which DID escape notice for a couple of months. But more on that later. Your Eyewitness has in mind the ridiculous situation in the RDC which has been unable to conduct meetings this year because the APNU/AFC councillors insist the Chairman must apologise to Pressie. Why? Seems he didn’t show up at a function in Region 5 where Pressie was handing one of his “B’s” – bus, bicycle or boat. You remember that programme.
And we return to the flooding in Region 5. So because of the alleged “diss” of Pressie by the Chair, nothing can be done by the RDC to deal frontally with the water that had inundated the houses of the poor villagers.
Who, not so incidentally, are mostly supporters of the APNU
Go figure!!
…so why apologise?
After our own Oscar says he ain’t apologising to nobody, your Eyewitness was reminded of a soca tune from back in the day: “Miss lady… whey Oscar bite you? Right dey right dey, right dey, ouch!!… Yuh blood sucka…yuh dracula!”
Blood suckers will bite…it’s their nature!
