They say that, One eye man is king in blind man country. That fact was recently emboldened when the (PNC) Coalition spent their millions to send out their list of accomplishments. They list was in all the daily newspapers and online. The dearth of foresight and leadership in the PR department of this government was also very visible in this latest saga. Imagine that the government is touting the fact that they cleaned drains and hosted a Caricom Summit as some of the things that they did over the last two years and for which they should be praised.
This petty behavior of the Granger administration is not new. The PPP was noted for engaging in the same level of governmental ignorance. Guyana has dwindled down to such a politically-anemic laughing stock, that our politicians say and do anything and get away with it. Since when a government can list the work that they are paid to do and hold them up as trophies for which to be applauded?
Since this government took over and indeed before, the unemployment rate among the young people stands at a staggering 40%. Businesses are rapidly closing their doors. The exodus of our best and brightest minds has not abated. In addition, our population continues to be depleted, with the constant exodus of our human capital. There have been zero new factories and companies moving to set up shop in Guyana. Additionally, sugar factories are being shut down. Rice millers and producers are going out of business. The maiden income of the Guyanese workers has decreased, while taxes on their every-day, household supplies have gone up.
Education is now being taxed and the illegal parking meter project has not been scrapped, rather, it is being renegotiated. If the government wants things to be praiseworthy of, they should show the Guyanese people what Guyana is doing on the world stage. Are more people coming to the Country as Tourist and vacationers? If so, in what amounts? Is Guyana competing with the fruits and vegetable producers of the world? If so, how is that positively affecting our GDP? For those wishing to set up businesses here, has the Government reduced the red-tape that allows for corruption and bribery? If not, why?
Has the Government jailed or fired any of the corrupt Ministers and employees in their rank? (This would show unequivocally that the new administration is different from the old ‘corrupt’ one). How has the government allowed for an expansion in the activities of the private sector? If the government really wants to look good, it must show what it did to facilitate the growth and development of the country. Is the private sector happy with the performance of the Government? If not, why? The government cannot simply highlight what it did as part of its established governmental mandate and flaunt it as progress.
But I am not the least surprised at this latest move. Our politicians have failed us so badly. Their work is so poorly executed that they honestly think that highlighting work that they are paid and expected to do, is worthy of our praise. Next we will hear of their accomplishments in Sussex St. Bond that they are renting. Or the casino they are adding on to cost of the crumbling Marriott. Or the billions in drugs they bought (that were expired). Or the pay raise they gave themselves. Or the billions they settled in unfounded lawsuits.
Editor, I was looking for them to mention the Trump-like fence they are building around the Office of the Presidency. …Maybe next year.

Leading up to the 2015 elections, the ABC countries all invested millions of dollars to provide the platform for the PPP to be ousted. It would take a person of the blindness of a Stevie Wonder combined with that of Ray Charles to not visually conclude that the developed countries aligned their resources to help remove the PPP/C. It was the exact thing they did in 1992, to the PNC.
Jagdeo and the PPP saw the handwriting on the wall and they tried to reverse course. But it was too late. The Donald Ramotar administration calming ignorance of the parameters of the $300 million Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) project, scrapped it and threatened to deport its coordinator, Mr Glen Bradbury. Then Priya Manickchand went to the home of the US Ambassador, Brent Hardt and in angry tones, recorded her now infamous Feral Blast. This was because the Ambassador had publically stated that the PPP should behave democratically and set a date for Local Government Elections.
Several other attempts to remain in government were made by Mr. Jagdeo, both as President and as the default President, during Mr. Ramotar’s reign. They refused to set up the DEA and they also refused the assistance both from the Canadians and the British in reducing the rampant drug trafficking that was taking place. There was also the stench of the 400 plus unsolved murders and the rampant TIP stigma. Additionally, the PPP was seeking to align themselves more closely with China, Venezuela and India. All these were not sitting well with the ABC countries.
While all this was happening, the oil exploration was showing that Guyana would soon be a member of OPEC; as a significant partner. So the Americans, Canadians and the British kept their findings of the oil and gas under wraps, as they worked to remove, whom they had classified as the corrupt, drug-infested, administration.
Fast forward to 2017. The call in Guyana is now getting louder for Constitutional Reform. However, this would weaken the Presidential powers and allow for a more democratic approach to governance in Guyana. With the Indians forming a large voting block and Jagdeo still appealing to them, coupled with the constant missteps of the Granger administration, the ABC countries cannot afford for a PPP return to power. Therefore, it is no surprise that the British Ambassador, Greg Quinn, has recently announced that London will be taking a back seat with regards to Guyana’s constitutional dilemma.
I guarantee you that none of the North American countries will take up this slack. This is a strategic chess game. The PPP has blood in their eyes. And it is believed that a win for Jagdeo and his PPP will see an immediate reversal of all things American, British and Canadian. The belief of the ABC countries is that violence will re-escalate, corruption will raise its ugly head, massive illegal drugs will flow again to their countries, and the economic focus will shift again to China, India and Venezuela.
So there will be no rocking of Granger’s boat. The ABC countries are in morbid fear of what Jagdeo would do to them and to the Guyanese populace should they regain power. The United Republican Party (URP), fought to remove the PPP from power and we still believe we did the right thing. However, we are disappointed in the latest revelation of the British Ambassador and we are asking that London would reassess their role in the establishment of a Constitutional Reform Committee.
Like their predecessors, this current administration has become power drunk. Sad to say, but we have seen that we cannot depend on our local politicians to do right by the Guyanese people. We are therefore asking that the British Government, or any other foreign entity, remain or become intricately involved in our much needed Constitution Reform.