We demand better leadership for our country

Dear Editor,
The excesses of this de-facto APNU/AFC Coalition Government has been overwhelmingly overflowing. The over-indulgences are evidenced by unparalleled heights of corruption and squandermania, which have become the order of the day. The benefits, regrettably, are primarily themed towards the enrichment of the Government/PNC supporters, and must be challenged.
The core drivers of the Government’s approach, no doubt, have their origins in ‘lust and hunger for power’ coupled with personal enrichment/greed of many of the key agents, who seek to achieve these outcomes by any means necessary. Unfortunately, the impositions are being advanced at the sacrifice of the welfare of the poorer class of Guyanese citizens at large.
The Government is currently in the 34th month of its tenure in office, and its Ministers and leaders have invoked an almost immeasurable negative displacement on the welfare path of citizens. Their threats to a further unleashing of attacks on citizens’ rights seem duly imminent. While at it, their actions have become shamelessly uncaring, and there is much evidence that the extremes of further viciousness will be employed to deprive basic survival needs.
Guyanese at large are called upon to speak out against the wickedness being rolled out from the very sinews of the Coalition.
We have consistently observed, emerging from the very echelons of the Government, a lack of support and frequent authorization of disruptive development activities. Only recently, the Minister of Communities reaffirmed his threats to derail the progress of the elected Councils in Local Authority Areas (LAAs), where the Coalition lost at the 2016 Local Government Elections. He has moved to implement his own design, a Local Government control system through several moves to minimize the authority of the elected Councils.
In fact, the Minister has taken ludicrous steps in many cases to approve the rebuffing and suppression of councils’ decisions by selected Overseers and Regional Executive Officers, to address his own political agenda which goes against the core of the people’s needs and choices. The moves, to date, of de-emphasizing the relevance of the Local Government Commission runs counter to any positive ideals in the interest of citizens’ representation and the intent of the constitution to balance against political excesses.
The malicious deprivations to thousands of workers in several regions have resulted from the closures of several sugar estates without any realistic job options. It creates sufferings unforetold, and makes a mockery of the job creation and the focus on youths’ platform on which the APNU/AFC campaigned and promised Guyanese citizens.
Those of us who were temperate enough to survive the role plays of the PNC of the 70s, 80s, and period prior to 1992 would be familiar with the most economically damaging and brutal playbook from which the Government’s strategic choices are being drawn. Amidst the lavish spending and squander by the Government, Guyanese would have never imagined or experienced the increased sufferings of so many in such a short period of time.
The unleashing of, or uncontrolled escalation of, the criminal terrors on citizens seems to be one of the areas designed for intimidating, or rather, one that the Government is totally incapable of addressing.

Many of the issues can be linked to the economic situation and the unconcerned approach of the Coalition in many areas.
It is extremely sad to know that APNU/AFC Regional Councillor Amarnauth ‘Bobby’ Chinkan was brutally chopped and is presently in a serious condition at the hospital. However, one cannot help observing accommodation of the power-drunk approach and treatment of another APNU/AFC agent, Mr. Abel Seetaram from Region #5, who has also been involved in all sorts of questionable activities.
The defiant Ronald Bulkhan must not be allowed to pretend that a deaf ear is acceptable. He is obligated to the members of the Local Government Commission, and must make sure they get their salaries and be provided with a properly equipped office with adequate staffing. People in the Local Authority Areas have shared the view that if the Local Government Commission were operational, then many of the reported serious in-fighting and corrupt activities would be avoided.
The corruption under this administration has become ingrained. The Regional Democratic Councils, through the Government-controlled REOs, are micro-managing the Local Authority Areas. Contractors are bribing seriously to scrape a contract so they can keep their staff and small business in operation. Word on the street is that for a contractor to get a small ‘job’, he has to bribe the officials at the Ministry, RDC, and the APNU/AFC activists for his survival.
The Local Government Commission must look in to these numerous issues and develop an immediate response to help our citizens, since it does not seem to matter to many in the Government,

Neil Kumar