The AFC is pleased to report that it has forced President Jagdeo to hold a recent Cabinet outreach in the Berbice area to play “catch-up” to the AFC as we traverse the length and breadth of the country winning the hearts and minds of the Guyanese people. The objective of the AFC’s regional visits is to mobilize its growing membership and disillusioned PPP/C and PNC/R supporters to take back control of their communities and the country from corrupt and vindictive PPP officials. For the month of January AFC activists, and its principals, have visited sections of Regions Nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 & 10 and, as of last Sunday, began spreading its ‘Agenda for Change’ to residents in Diamond, Region No. 4. We encourage Guyanese to be hopeful because change is coming to this land.
PPP/C CAUSING MULTIPLE CRISES IN BEDROCK INDUSTRIES
One only has to scan the performance of the bedrock industries of Guyana to realise that PPP/C ineptitude and mismanagement are causing crisis after crisis to erupt from one industry to another. Over the past months we have had severe dislocations in the sugar, bauxite, and rice industries. The most recent instance was manifested by the presence of 4,000 people taking to the streets in Bartica yesterday to protest the Jagdeo regime’s arrogant and misguided handling of the most precious resource in the mining sector-the people. After 18 years of handling power, the PPP has been unable to grapple with these major industries to ensure their modernisation, viability and profitability.
Guyana belongs to all Guyanese with or without the funds from Norway under the LCDS. We need to make mining more environmentally and economically sustainable. Meaningful consultations should begin immediately to address the genuine concerns of the miners and the thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihood. The take it or leave it attitude of the Jagdeo Administration is being rejected as was witnessed yesterday. The AFC stands in solidarity with the workers of Guyana.
PATRIOTISM IS THE LAST REFUGE OF A SCOUNDREL
The AFC views the continuing ad hominem attacks on Dr. Janette Bulkan by senior Government officials, initiated by the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Robert Persaud, as a serious development. The orchestrated letters by the Commissioner of Forest, officials from TAAMOG and letter writers like P. Edwards to pour scandalous scorn questioning Ms Bulkan’s patriotism, has a dangerous and deliberate purpose behind it all. So, too, was the pressure brought to bear on the obviously timorous souls at the World Bank to terminate her services as a Technical Adviser. The purpose is clearly intended to muzzle Guyanese in the Diaspora who possess high quality credentials and who are critical of the Government of Guyana by attempting to drive fear in their minds that serious repercussions will follow if they are critical of the Jagdeo Administration. The AFC warns that this chilling intent will do Guyana no good.
The accusation of a lack of patriotism as the basis for attacking Ms. Bulkan is hypocritical, especially coming from the Minister of Agriculture who is robustly attempting to be the next Presidential Candidate of the PPP. When it is this Minister who cannot deny that he arranged for his wife, who is a niece of President Jagdeo, to give birth to his two young children in the USA, rather than here in our beautiful and green Guyana. Also, it is ironic and unpatriotic that Minister Persaud would be making sure the Junior Persauds were American citizens at a time when President Jagdeo has chosen to ‘put a good cussing on the United States of America’ whilst he was in Iran. How true is that statement of the great Samuel Johnson: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel’.
JAGDEO’S AXIS OF CONVENIENCE SPELLS DANGER
The AFC has, in the past, called into question the murky foreign policy agenda being pursued by President Jagdeo, as he seems to be forming an axis with nations that have not been our traditional friends and trading partners. The President is yet to articulate his vision that informs this strange shift in foreign policy which, we believe, can jeopardise our relations within the Region, and further afield. So far, he and his Foreign Minister have failed to be honest with the Guyanese people and give an explanation for what is really happening. The latest visit to the Middle East has been described by him as successful; but in what context, we ask? If one does a cost/benefit analysis of the these visits, one quickly realizes that Guyana’s economy is not recording any net gains; instead, from all accounts and based on information from reliable sources, the President’s jet-setting trips over the past two and a half years have cost this nation close to G$1B. This is a horrendous cost to bear only to learn, for example, that we will receive a USD$1M medical grant, and a “promise” to help develop our research capabilities in the mining sector. On this score, It has not escaped our attention, and that of many, that Iran is undertaking a similar exercise in Venezuela looking for uranium; an indispensible ingredient for the development of nuclear capacities. The aid promised to Guyana by Iran, though welcome, is too small and insignificant to justify a major shift in our foreign policy.
We warn that the high wire act being performed by Mr. Jagdeo could lead to our becoming embroiled in a dangerous game being played out in a larger arena and one in which we could find ourselves impaled on the horns of an axis of death and destruction. Guyana is a peace loving nation and we do not wish to become entangled in the affairs of other nations; and by doing so upset friends and allies. More explanations are urgently required.
GOVERNMENT PROCEEDING WITH HOPE CANAL AGIANST SOLID ADVICE
For some inexplicable reason the government is proceeding with its idea of constructing the 2.5 km long Hope Canal to ostensibly ease the pressure on the East Demerara Water conservancy in times of excessive rainfall when the conservancy is prone to overtopping and the present relief into the Mahaica River has led, in the recent past, to flooding in the Mahaica and Mahaicony areas. It is well known that the residents and famers of the Mahaica suffer from the deluge of flood waters on an almost annual basis and that their suffering and losses are tremendous. We empathise with them and wish to advise them that they are being fooled by the government into believing that their relief has to come through the construction of this canal which will have the impact of displacing many farmers and residents at Hope, East Coast Demerara. Additionally, the estimated cost of $3.6BGYD cannot be justified taking into account other options which are less disruptive to the environment and communities. These other options, which include the dredging of the mouth of the Mahaica River and the upgrading of the Land of Canaan Sluice on the East Bank of Demerara are being ignored by the government and come highly recommended by the local association of professional engineers and Guyanese engineers resident abroad.
The AFC can think of no rational explanation for the saddling of tax payers with this $3.6BGYD bill other than that it will create a massive slush fund from which the usual suspects will draw down, and the PPP’s election campaign will be financed. We challenge the Minister of Agriculture to accept, and act on, the professional and sound advice given to halt the proposed project and to save billions of scarce dollars, by dredging the Mahaica River and enhancing the drainage capacity through the Land of Canaan facility.
PNC AND PPP HOLDING SHARED GOVERNANCE TALKS
The AFC finds the clumsy attempt to inform the nation of joint PNC and PPP talks, apart from confirming that we are not in the embrace with any of the two, to be insulting to the nation as a whole, and to other national stake holders in particular, who have been shut out. It has long been suspected, because “bush got ears” and in fact had become a “Guyana Secret”, which everyone already knew about, that there were secret talks taking place between the two and that the PPP was making demands for the main opposition party to compromise itself and membership in return for some promises of Cabinet and other postings. These demands of the regime, have led, in the opinion of many, to a relaxing of the level of opposition expected from the PNC in the midst of the PPP’s lawlessness and wanton breaches of the rule of law in Guyana. The Guyanese people have ultimately suffered as a result of the machinations of the PPP in this regard. How much more must we endure of this hypocrisy?
The AFC believes, as do most Guyanese, that the current political system practiced is more harmful than beneficial to the nation and its peoples, but at the same time feels that any talks on changing the Constitution and system of governance, should be open and transparent; and above all else, involve the people in nation- wide consultations.
Certainly, discussions and decisions to be made on something as important, and as potentially divisive, as “shared governance” cannot remain the preserve of just two parties. The process will lead to personal deals being made at the expense of the people and this in itself makes the process flawed and dangerous. We call for an immediate revealing of all of the details of these meetings and that the process be halted and re-started in a transparent and truly inclusive way in keeping with the spirit of Article 13 of the Constitution of Guyana which makes inclusivity the bedrock of all decision-making in Guyana. Anything short, will confirm the suspicions of the Guyanese people that this is an incestuous pact being entered into that will produce a malformed and harmful off-spring.
GECOM IS ILL PREPARED FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
As the nation is put on an elections footing for the holding of Local Government Elections that are scheduled for April, 2010, the people of Guyana are no wiser as to their rights and responsibilities under the new electoral system that is proposed. If we are made to believe that the holding of elections is in itself the greatest litmus test of a functioning democracy, rather than the fullest participation of the people, then by all accounts, GECOM is failing miserably to prepare the people to exercise their constitutional and democratic rights to vote, and to elect leaders of their choice.
Dr. Surujbally’s candor in admitting that GECOM is operating in “unknown territory” whilst addressing a poorly attended forum, must be commended, but he must go further and say to the political directorate that if we are to have a meaningful local government elections in Guyana then the level of participation of the people has to be way beyond current estimates. Additionally, the full raft of the long awaited reforms have yet to be implemented and calls into serious question the success of any local government elections held without them. Therefore, elections held just for the sake of holding them, will be disastrous for this nation and will most likely cause irreparable harm to our democracy. Stop playing games with the Guyanese people.
On a more personal note, apart from the occasional package being delivered to our offices by GECOM, the AFC is completely kept in the dark about the progress being made with respect to new Registrations, Claims and Objections and the uplifting of ID Cards, and preparations for Local Government elections generally. We believe that as a national stake holder, we are entitled to be placed on a level playing field and dealt with in the same manner as others are. We are reliably informed that other parties are regularly briefed so we again point out obvious discriminating practices being meted out to the AFC.
End.
For more information contact:
The Alliance For Change
226-0181
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