Dear Editor,
The maxim, “it never rains but pours,” truly apply to the Government of our beloved country. What more must we suffer before the people are awaken? The saying “the more you watch, the less and see; the less you see is better for me”.
Where do we start? I have said it numerous times before – Democracy in Guyana begins when the polls are open and ends when the votes are counted and the election results declared. We have seen that repeatedly under the PPP administration and the same was seen under the coalition (APNU/AFC). Are we so naïve that we continue to vote for a political party that sees us during the election campaign and we become invisible thereafter – waiting for the next cycle.
Let’s start with the swearing in of the President. The constitution does not fix a date for this event, yet the President is sworn in almost immediately when the election results are announced. In those elections, the party with the most votes wins; the Presidency AND the party/parties that do not form the government, nominate the Leader of the Opposition (LOO). In the last election cycle, it took parliament MONTHS after the election to swear in the LOO. We are told that no law was breached – how absurd. Isn’t the same constitution that is used to swear in the President applies to the swearing in of the LOO? Can someone explain the disparity?
Secondly, we are told that the excessive rain caused floods in various parts of country. How preposterous. We have seen the shabby work that contractors across the country are doing which leads to the flooding crisis. Classic case in point is the work on the railway embankment road. Which engineer will approve that dysfunctional construction where the road is almost 12 feet higher than the surrounding lands and the drains are blocked? Where will the water flow? The NDIA has received billions of dollars over the years, yet many main drainage canals have overgrown burden. Where will the water flow after the rain? In the same token, many of our citizens are guilty of disposing of their garbage in the waterways. Where are the gatekeepers who are tasked to prevent this? Where are the garbage receptacles for use by law abiding citizens?
Shame on the people of Guyana for allowing this nonsense to continue. We need a government that will put the people first. I learnt a statement made recently on social media which says that “the power of the people is greater than the people in power”.
Wake up Guyanese.