Dear editor,

I am writing this letter as a Guyanese citizen and as an artist who has served my country longer than President Ali’s age. I and other senior Guyanese artists have suffered enormously on account of our commitment to the unification of our people via the creative arts and a just political dispensation in which all Guyanese can benefit.

After 23 years of PPP tyrannical rule, we all expected that following the General Elections of 2015 that our situation would have improved under the APNU+AFC government, unfortunately our situation did not improve, irrespective of the many letters I wrote to the president and culture ministers and letters to the editors concerning the plight of the small artist community. My enquiry as to what happened to the $20 million that was allocated in 2019 for the artist community was met with harsh criticism.

Editor, I have spoken up as General Secretary of the Guyana United Artists (GUA) of the difficulties artists faced under both the PPP and the APNU+AFC governments. More so of the billions of dollars allocated under the PPP government to the Culture Ministry in its four mammoth size budgets; in which over a hundred PPP party loyalists were each given a $1 million dollars over a four year period under the pretense that they were creative artists, while genuine Guyanese artists who had served our country for decades did not receive a dollar.

With general election due sometime this year, I sincerely hope that as the political parties and members of civil society form an alliance to contest the election that they do not repeat the same mistake that transpired in the aftermath of the APNU+AFC victory, in which the PNC took control and sidelined the smaller Coalition partners. The then president of Guyana, David Granger made it quite clear that he was not in favour of Professor CY Thomas’ proposal of a cash grant but the PPP endorsed the idea and it has since become the PPP Trojan Horse. Today Guyanese in different parts of the country stand in lines, fatigued, frustrated, uncertain of whether they are going to be the lucky recipients of the GYD$100K. While hundreds of thousands continue to languish in our homes, unable to eat a proper meal, faced with an ever-increasing cost of living, electricity and water bills, children and grandchildren to send to schools; young adults who are still dependent on the household, lured into criminal activity, the use of drugs to pass the time; young girls selling their bodies for a fried rice. Who feels it knows what I am saying is true.

Senior citizens battling with diabetes and other health problems have to pay exorbitant prices for medications which are not available at the Georgetown Public hospital and Health centers. What will become of us when the $100k comes to an end, and how many of us will be the lucky recipients. Hundreds of pensioners did not get the $25,000 cash grant in2023. And what of the fate of the few remaining creative artists and their families who persevered and stood alongside them? Will they too go under in the country touted to become among the richest in the world. How many of us will survive, able to endure the long lines and long hours to benefit from the enormous oil wealth? While we have to beware of the PPP Trojan Horse, we have to be equally vigilant if the presence of those hovering overhead, waiting to take their place.

Sincerely,

Desmond Alli