Thoughts to ponder on

Dear Editor,

This APNU/AFC Administration has kept none of its campaign promises, and its officials do not even pretend to care what they say or do. They also do not seem to even care what the people think of them.

Some of those campaign promises are:

(1) Workers never got the 20% increase in salaries, but they (the Government) gave themselves more than 50% increase within a few months of getting into office. In 2016, ‘smart’ Winston Jordan gave the workers a 5% increase, then conned them by making the increase effective from July 2016, with no retroactive increase.

That is to say: the increase was effective for half the year; so, in reality, the workers got only 2.5% for 2016. The increase this year is also another big con.

(2) They promised the pensioners a big increase, but when they did give the increase — of about $3,000 per month — in the same breath, ‘smart’ Jordan terminated the pensioners’ electricity and water subsidies. Then, this year, he placed Value Added Tax (VAT) on water and electricity, an added cost and burden to the pensioners.

(3) Government gave the school children $1,500, then cut out the $10,000 that the PPP government was giving to them. Therefore, in reality they lost $8,500.

(4) The Government cut the VAT by 2% — from 16% to 14% — but then applied VAT on over 150 items that never had VAT during the tenure of the PPP Administration, and that is inclusive of VAT on private education! And if you go to a private doctor or hospital, remember what the goodly lady minister said, “If you can go to private means, you have the money, pay the VAT.” Remember what the ‘bright’ Jordan said: VAT on education is not a tax, but just a tool to broaden his tax base. What the hell does that mean? He is still collecting tax on education.

(5) The Government promised rice farmers $9,000 a bag for paddy. Today they are getting $2,000 or less per bag. Also, the cost of production has gone up with the increase in price for fertiliser and the cancellation of all duty-free concessions.

On top of that, President David Granger told them that rice production is your private business, find your market, but that was after this fancy government destroyed their profitable Venezuelan rice market.

This they did to please ‘Uncle Sam,’ who is financing the Venezuelan opposition M.U.D with millions of US dollars to get rid of President Maduro all because of their oil. If we are not careful we can have a proxy war with Venezuela.

(6) The Government said sugar is too big to fail. But as soon as they began administrating, their tune changes and they are closing down the estates, starting with Wales, then Rose Hall and Enmore, and the selling of Skeldon. Can someone please explain to me: If sugar has failed and has no future whatsoever, how come businessmen as far as India and as near as Trinidad and Tobago, and whoever else the PM’s son-in-law will find want to invest in our sugar industry?

Do they have money to waste? Or are they stupid? Only our government ministers are the real smart men to see the future, with the chief psychic economist pronouncing the death of sugar.

But I believe that their real reason for destroying the rice and sugar industries is because that is where the PPP strength lies. So this APNU/AFC Administration believes that, if they destroy both the sugar and rice industries, they will make the people really frustrated and dissatisfied, hopefully against the PPP for being unable to help them.

They are hoping that by this way they will be able to get rid of the PPP. They care nothing about the sufferings of the workers, farmers and their families – they are collateral damage at the political altar.

This is sheer dirty politics. This Government is wielding an economic axe in great hope of getting rid of the PPP; and they don’t care a damn about the difficulties and hardships their actions and policies will cause to the people of this country, and the severe damage they will cause to the economy.

(7) Hamilton Green, after he received his undeserved $20 million-plus pension, has now become a spokesperson against Pradoville 2; but he has forgotten that during the PNC dictator Forbes Burnham’s rule, he took six house lots and the Government’s sheet iron pilings that were for the sea defence project and enforced his property. He got off ‘scot free’, but the Minister of Works at the time was penalised.

(8) What did President Granger hope to achieve when he rejected the Opposition Leader’s list for the position of Chairman of GECOM? He took a long time, and has not put forward his concept of the quality/type of person he wants to be Chairman of GECOM, but his ideas go against the 2003 Constitution.

Where can you find a totally independent or neutral person? For once you have voted at a General Election, you cannot be totally independent or neutral. However, such a person can function professionally and be neutral.

Is it, as the Opposition believes, that he wants to put his own chosen person to rig the 2020 elections? But do the actions of this ‘smart’ Administration give the impression that they want elections within the next two and a half years? Does it not look as if the President is stalling for time in order to stretch this process as far as possible?

Then link this GECOM problem with the Constitutional Reform programme that the ABC countries are now subtly pushing, stretching both out beyond 2020, hopefully to the time when the oil money will come in? Does he want to do as Desmond Hoyte did and gain another two years to rule? Maybe we would not be able to have the General Elections until about 2022-2023 or so.

Yours sincerely,

Chandra Shekar Azad