THE economic ruin that the PNC and Carl Greenidge bequeathed Guyana, not only stagnated a nation with many potential and brought indescribable embarrassment to its people, but plummeted whatever standing the country might have had with regards to its international image. To say that Guyana was the laughing stock in this part of the world at that time, would be a gross understatement; a position which was precipitated by Greenidge’s incessant mismanagement. What was even more burdensome to an already despondent populace, was the uncaring attitude demonstrated by Greenidge and the PNC.It would not be challenging to conclude that the PNC’s agenda at that time was to wallow in extravagance and be oblivious to the suffering of the masses; and the masses did suffer. Not only did they suffer from personal economic hardships imposed by the regime, but from the ruins resulted from the collapsed social and physical infrastructure. This was not only glaring from pothole-riddled passageways that were deemed roads, but through the poor excuses for what was considered as the provision of essential services. Mind you, as at 1992, Essequibo lacked a paved thoroughfare from Supenaam to Charity.
While there are numerous examples in this regard, the images of a sunken part of the Demerara Harbour Bridge on one occasion, and that of a motor vehicle stranded on a section that floated away on another, served to epitomise the destruction the country was experiencing. That was only the tip of the iceberg. There is the horrific story then of a baby being bitten by a rat in what should have been the safe environment of the Georgetown Public Hospital. It was one thing to be exposed to woeful health facilities, but another to be bitten by a disease carrying animal while in the sanctuary of one.
Once again, I would like to pose a similar question like I did before; can you image what would be the outcry today if a section of the Harbour Bridge were to float away with a vehicle and passengers on it and if a baby were to be bitten by a rodent in any government health institution? The Grangers, the Greenidges, the Ramjattans, the Nagamootoos, the Rams, the Kissoons and the Kaieteur and Stabroek News, would unabatedly rain ridicule and accusations at the administration. This would remain unrelenting for the rest of the government’s tenure.
The difference is that, today, they can freely launch into such tirades and remain unremitting in their denigration. But you may ask, what does a past sunken bridge, a baby’s rodent bitten toe and the freedom today for persons to openly criticise the government, have to do with the current Opposition’s agenda? The answer is that it fits perfectly within the Opposition’s present obsession to impose convenient amnesia. This related imposition is being manifested in every facet of the Opposition’s output in an attempt to erase their sordid and shameful past.
It was a past during which water (trickles that is) had to be trapped from broken asbestos mains situated in filthy clogged drains. For thousands across the country, this was the only means of getting some form of potable water. Unfortunately, the overarching concern seemed only about having access to water and not so much about the contaminated liquid which was consumed. It would be unfair to say that the safety of water was not a concern. Clearly it was, but many lacked the means to engage in any form of sanitisation. During that time, Guyanese were forced to be subjected to the rituals of “water fetching” from long distances away from their homes. It became part of the culture.
There are a host of images in this regard reminding of those harsh days when thousands, including children, engaged in the back-breaking task of carrying containers of what was considered as water on makeshift carts. These journeys were sometimes traversed along public roads thereby exposing them to the dangers of coming into contact with a vehicle. Some, unfortunately, lost their lives in that manner; death in the quest for water, or what was.
Today, it therefore becomes almost shameless for those Opposition members who imposed those hardships on the nation, to even contemplate complaining now about the pressure being unable to push water to their third floor Jacuzzi even for five minutes! This, once again, demonstrates an agenda by the Opposition to force a literate nation into becoming oblivious of what that Party did in bringing this country to its knees. Fortunately, amnesia, conveniently or not, cannot be imposed despite that being the agenda. More so, Greenidge’s attempt to hide his failures would be futile for there are many who still bear the scars.