Dear Editor,
It has been a long time since I have heard so much garbage coming out of a government function. It goes well with the large amounts of garbage around the city. We hear of Guyana helping to stop world hunger, striving for technological advancement with data centers and helping the world get the oil it needs. The con game is in full swing and the money being lost by the average citizen is not a topic of discussion. A referendum has not been planned yet dumb things are being said to mislead the public. The irony of the situation is that the capital still gets easily flooded, the coastal plains are also in a similar situation while the contract with Exxon is not being voted on via a referendum, but scarce funds placed in the NRF are being aggressively depleted to build in a worsening flood plain. It is understandable why many citizens are staying silent about the nonsense they are seeing, but common sense must prevail.
We have a large level of poverty that the government has been unable to effectively reduce, yet they taunt the poor and make fun of them during elections by dangling an unreachable cash grant for the holidays. No one finds it believable that Guyana can reduce poverty around the world when it cannot do so in a sustainable manner for Guyanese. They speak of helping meet oil demand while prices are low and we lose on the sale. They speak of data centers which will quickly consume our non-renewable energy resources and deplete our income. Safety was not mentioned as the first priority, making it clear that there is little genuine concern over maintaining a strong and healthy environment. They speak of fertilizers and adjacent industries for the gas to energy projects, knowing that these things will also bring health issues to our citizens including those in government.
Our young President may appear gullible when amongst them, but we, as his fellow Guyanese, must send a clear message. Maybe it’s time for our young President to be reminded of the current situation in Guyana so he can focus on the reality of our citizens. It has been a long time since he has walked through the flooded streets of our capital, it has been a long time since he has seen how the sick suffer, and it has been a long time since he has been unable to buy something he needed. There is also the matter of Dharamlall. Ignoring the previous serious circumstances surrounding his dismissal is not a matter of our President being gullible nor is it a matter of youthful inexperience, it speaks to a lack of the morals our President spoke of during the beginning of Ramadan. Maybe it’s time he visited some of the victims of pedophiles and victims of rape. Such acts should never be taken lightly. What the government has done under his leadership concerning Dharamlall makes a mockery of the work being done by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
What the President has spoken of concerning morals and ethics need to be put into practice. That lack of this says volumes about his trustworthiness and is a clear reminder of the deception that was exposed concerning the holiday cash grant. There are many generations amongst our nation’s citizens that suffered under Forbes. None of us will allow our fellow Guyanese to be misled and deceived once again. If the President does not genuinely have the best interest of every Guyanese at heart, then there is no need for such a leader. This Forbes found out the hard way. Be careful not to take us for granted nor should the President assume that we are fools. Our people have a natural tendency to make things very difficult for those trying to take advantage of them. Please keep this in mind as you decide what’s next for our homeland.