The 2017 Parliamentary Budget debates concluded last week in the House, revealing uncomfortable truths which signal a grim future for the governance of Guyana. Even after the corruption scandals which it birthed in such a short span of time, the Coalition regime seems incapable of learning from its own mistakes, much less the mistakes of previous administrations.
It can be easily acknowledged that the Government in this country, like in many other developing ones, has an aversion for transparency, and that when it cannot conceal the stench of its own corruption, brandishes an incorrigible arrogance in the faces of the populace as if to remind us of our impuissance in this failing democracy. Every day seems to bring new revelations as a testimony to the deceit which seduced voters in May 2015. Now, an unfortunate majority of the electorate is burdened by the consequences of a choice it did not make, and the intensification of divide in our society is increasingly present.
It is difficult to imagine in these circumstances, how social cohesion can be successfully achieved. The very principles of social cohesion – inclusive and participatory governance, promotion of equity and uplifting of populations, consolidation of public trust and the reinforcement of the national sense of belonging which throughout our history has been constantly challenged – are in perpetual conflict with the APNU/AFC agenda.
The resilience and patience of the Guyanese people however, must not be taken for granted. Nor should their apparent fear of retribution rooted in episodes of our history dominated by violence and intimidation. The sad reality is that the people tend to wait for elections (provided that they’re free and fair) to express its will, and herein is the danger: for it is much easier for politicians to win voter buy-in than it is to uphold their commitments to the people. But while publicly contesting the failure of politicians is not something Guyanese are inclined to doing, due to fear of reprisals and discrimination, governments will continue to act irresponsibly.
And irresponsible were the recent disclosures in the House, though not in any way surprising now that we know with certitude not to expect any better from the regime. Indigenous Peoples Affairs Junior Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe herself seems to have mastered the art of subterfuge, which she brilliantly demonstrated in Parliament through her inability to gratify the queries laid before her with decent answers. Despite PS Welch and a young clerk whispering answers to her (loud enough for the entire House to hear), the Minister appeared disoriented and uninformed regarding the affairs she ought to be steering in the Ministry.
She could not account for some $500 million worth of ICT material, purchased by the previous administration and destined for Amerindian development. On several occasions, she either asked for two days to respond or refused to respond at all. But her audacity attained its climax when she overtly declared that the HEYS Programme Coordinator was sole sourced, that the vacancy was not advertised and that instead the Ministry “invited applications and Mr Murray [Greenidge] was chosen”. Perhaps she expected applause for her honesty on this act of cronyism which evokes the recurrent gangrenous appointment of incompetent old military men and political stalwarts, friends and partisans, to high ranking government positions by the coalition and to the tune of hundreds of millions. Who knows?
Opposition scrutiny later exposed that millions of tax-dollars are being injected into foreign establishments (instead of local economy) to provide higher education for two Government Ministers ($6.9 million), several affiliates of the regime, and even Education Minister Rupert Roopnaraine’s daughter, Alicia Roopnarine ($2.5 million). How do we explain this to the fisherman or the cash-crop farmer who can’t afford to send their children to the University of Guyana (UG)? How do we explain this to the young Amerindian man who was fired by the Allicock administration last year and is now forced to work in the mines to feed his family? How do we explain this to the working class family forced to take loans to fund a course at UG? Will they be “invited” for lucrative jobs too?
There is an overwhelming sense of lassitude by the masses who now have all eyes riveted on 2020, the year of hope for many. But even 2020 might not suffice to remedy the long-term devastating effects of reckless governance, should the coalition chose not to temper its insatiable greed and disregard for the people now.
