These two political parties – the PPP and the PNC – have mortally damaged the psyche of the Guyanese people. Just look at the fiasco that is ensuing in connection with the Red House issue. Imagine there are people on the side of the PNC that have turned out to oppose the vigil of the PPP. If this is not political, social cohesive and moral/commonsensical backwardness, what is? How can the Granger administration and President David Granger himself not understand how damaging to the psyche of any PPP follower, this regressive move will be? Can the PNC not realize that such a move does not make for peace? Does Mr. Granger not understand that he cannot continue to claim to be the champion of Social Cohesion and yet engage in this kind of divisive behavior?
It is obvious that this new administration has a multitude of square pegs in round holes and that they lack the vision needed to move this country forward. After two years, the Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ali, has been kicked out of her position. The United Republican Party (URP) has long argued that she was never the right fit. How can Minister Ali, the ‘Chief Whip’ of the PNC, be asked to serve as the minister charged with bridging the political and racial gap between the two parties and the country? Then we have Minister of Health Mr. George Norton. He was caught lying about millions of dollars he awarded to his buddy and was found guilty of insider trading, now he has been disgracefully maintained as a minister; even though he was unceremoniously removed from his esteemed position.
This administration, which continues to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to corruption, crony-ism and bully-ism, is taking this country down a regressive, oppressive, authoritarian path. The PNC’s old ways are quickly resurfacing. The URP is convinced that this is not what the Guyanese electorate voted for.
This latest Red House saga is the latest in a constant rollout of the dangerous enactments of this regime. Why are they so bent on enraging the Guyanese populace? These constant moves of the PNC-ites show utter disdain for the will of the citizenry of Guyana. From the unconscionable removal of the vendors, to the institution of the draconian parking meter, to the utter disrespect shown to the rice and sugar farmers, to the bait-and-switch of the young voters, to the 2017 budget (with its vat on water and light) this Granger-led Government seems to be on a collision course with common sense, logic and patriotism.
It is the unnecessary and untimely decision made concerning the Red House that we focus on today. It would have been to the benefit of all if some discussions were engaged in to amiably include the desires and intent of this government and the other stake holders. If the PNC has problems with how the Red House was being utilized, then that too could have been a part of the discussions. It does not take a rocket scientist to reveal that Guyana is morbidly racially and politically divided. This is so because of the very kinds of behavior now adopted by the PNC. One would think that knowing the history of Guyana (Mr. Granger himself a historian and the originator of the Social Cohesion Ministry) much thought and restraint would have been employed in such a delicate matter but alas, political bully-ism trumps Social Cohesion and historical correctness.
The URP remembers that when the increased tariffs were agreed upon for electricity in Linden, the Lindeners rejected the idea and even though Mr. Granger and the then Opposition had signed off on the increases, the PPP walked back the tariffs. Where is that spirit of cohesion? Where is that magnanimous leader that the Guyanese first envisioned in Mr. Granger?
The PNC-ites are now trying to conjure some sort of nonexistent drama as it relates to the former President Residence, turned Castellani House. Let the records reflect that there were no protests or substantial objection to the move of establishing an art gallery at that property on Vlissingen Road. Additionally, that building was never designated a research center, nor a historical building designated to the life of President Burnham. Such is not true about the Red House, for not only did Dr. Jagan live there but it was also designated a historical building and a research center in his honor and that should be respected.
The URP continues to be disappointed at the way in which the two political parties govern Guyana. The PPP and the PNC always manage to find ways to engender and highlight the worse racial fears of the Guyanese people. From the outlandish remarks of the PPP leaders to the autocratic positions of the leaders of the PNC, Guyana finds itself in a 50 year-old backward struggle, led by selfish, greedy, power-hungry politicians. The New Year has begun with a nasty political bug – one can only imagine how it will end.
Both the PNC and the PPP are cruel political parties. Imagine that no less than the Finance Minister himself told the contractors that he will not pay them what is rightfully theirs. Just think of that reality for a moment. A person enters into a contractual relation with the Government of Guyana (Or a front-company set up to represent the Government), and when you are finished the agreed upon work, you are told you have to wait for your money. And when you do finally get word that you will get your money, you are told that you will only get a third of what you are rightfully owed and that you must either take the incorrect, insufficient, amount or leave the money with the offending party. That is unfair, crookish, irresponsible, heavy-handed, vintage PNC behavior. That’s the Burnham’s legacy of the average PNC ruler. They simply operate without conscience or regards for others. The politicians in Guyana (the PNC and the PPP), know that they can get away with murder in this country (literally and figuratively), so they give the proverbial middle finger at will to the citizens of this country. The PNC has a track record of taking advantage on the Guyanese people. Those who opposed the party were beaten into subjection or extinction. The rest of us were forced to leave the country or we lived in morbid fear. President Desmond Hoyte tried to change that but he was opposed from within his own party and then removed from power. The Reform that the PNC added to its name, never materialized. They are so bent on remaining the same party, with the same modus operandi, that they do not even bother to speak of Reform anymore. Now, the demon of the vicious, vindictive, vitriolic Burnham era has raised its ugly head again. We can hear the demon in the President’s remarks that his Government is not responsible for creating and providing jobs of the youths; even though they campaigned on that mantra. Or we can spot the demon in the remarks coming out of the wage increase discussions between the unions and the Government, as the unions fight to get the administration to honor the campaign commitment they made to the workers. We can recognize the demon in the way Mr. Royston King is treating the vendors and the employees at the City Hall and even in the roll-out of the Parking Meters. We can identify the demon in the Granger-led administration’s refusal to meet with the civil society and the business commission on the ill-advised 2017 budget. Additionally, we can hear the demon in the Finance Minister’s rants that the contractors can “take” the little he plans to pay them or “leave it”. The Guyanese citizens must pause for a moment and observe the groundings and the foundation of the vicious onslaught that is taking place by this PNC/Coalition. Guyanese must be reminded that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Take careful note, brothers and sisters, that now that the PNC has realized that the AFC is divided and that they have become a toothless dog, the PNCites are beginning to turn up the pressure on the Guyanese people. This is the mentality of the folks trained by Burnham. This is a repeat of history! Burnham was interested in the infrastructure of Guyana. He built roads and bridges and housing schemes. He restricted the exploitation of the countries resources. However, he was a sadistic dictator. And anyone who opposed him felt his wrath. It seems that he was able to pass on this kind of autocratic mentality to those around him and this is what the Guyanese populace are witnessing the rebirth of today. The arbitrary positions that the Granger-led administration is taking is not coincidental. The steady raise of the hawkish bullism that we are experiencing is not incidental. This is vintage PNC behavior. Many of the folks who voted for the Coalition, hated the PNC, however, they were hoping that the AFC would have held true to their promise and hold the PNC in check. Thousands held their noses and voted for change hoping that the AFC would prove a counter balance to the cruel kind of dictatorial leadership the PNC is known for. Well, AFC failed miserable and the rest is history. The United Republican Party (URP) is not in the least surprised with any of the latest developments by the PNC/Coalition. We were critical of the PPP/C who behave similarly and we warned our Guyanese brothers and sisters that a vote for the Coalition was a vote for the PNC and hence, a vote for the same old, dictatorship mentality. We were right. However, hang in there fellow Guyanese, 2020 can prove a year of redemption and real change. Merry Christmas.