Some things are no longer luxuries
THIS bi-weekly column was a regular earlier in the year. However, due to sudden illness, I was unable to sustain it. However, I thought I should revive it, especially in the context of the upcoming elections on November 28, more so, given the falsehoods that are being peddled by some. Their articulations, coupled with those of some sections of the local media, create the false impression that progress was lacking over the last 19 years. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

Those who would have read previous articles were able to follow how amazed Uncle Benji was upon his return after spending a few decades away from the land of his birth. The intention is not to rehash his experience on how astonished he was at the positive transformation Guyana had undergone under the PPP/C administration since 1992, but to make a few observations on some of the changes and its impact. When Uncle Benji left, he did so as a desperate man fleeing a hopeless country of which no bright future was on the horizon.

His plight was not dissimilar to the thousands who fled, some forcibly, to seek a better life for themselves and family. They left a country, in which basic food items were banned and people were forced to stand for hours in long lines to get whatever was available to feed their dependants, where fuel shortage was prevalent, where blackouts plagued the nation and actually getting some electricity was a welcome surprised, where students were subjected to the rigours of National Service and where transportation was woefully lacking.

They left a country where health and educational facilities were in disrepair, where having a party card was a passport to get a proper job and to have access to KSI stores to get the best of what was available, where it was virtually impossible for the ordinary man to have access to foreign currency, where the telephone was a luxury, where televisions and cars were symbolic of elite status, where interest rates were in excess of 30%, making it extremely difficult to sustain a mortgage for the provision of shelter to one’s family and where roads were impassable.

These are just a few examples of what life was back in the days prior to 1992, days when desperation and hopelessness permeated the nation. This explains Uncle Benji’s elation at the unbelievable transformation of Guyana over the last 19 years. For him and the thousands who fled, the transformation was unthinkable. Those days of oppression and suffering are gone. Today, supermarkets punctuate the country’s landscape, providing food items that are available in North America. Today, various brands of baby and infant formulas are available for all to access. Now, the challenge at breakfast is to decide which cereal to eat!

Numerous classy restaurants and other fast food establishments have mushroomed all across the land, to the point where a large number of Guyanese actually eat out more than they cook, especially on weekends! Today, thousands and thousands of Guyanese own a vehicle, with some families owning more than one. This unprecedented upsurge in vehicle ownership has led to frustration when trapped in traffic. If in doubt, one just needs to look at the long lines along the thoroughfares, especially during peak hours, to see how ubiquitous vehicles are!

Today, almost every Guyanese owns a cell phone, some two. This means that for an average family of four, at least an equivalent number of cell phones are in that home! Now, residents here can be in a real-time conversation with others in different parts of the globe through Blackberry and other related telecommunication services! Today, people upload in real-time to social networks to the point where some people’s routine can be followed on Facebook and Twitter!

This is in addition to the numerous schools, hospitals, health centres, roads, the stadium, the Berbice and Takutu Bridges, the Conference Centre and the modernisation through Information Communication Technology.
So, again, Uncle Benji’s amazement is mind-boggling, just like those who are returning after a long time. No one can deny that Guyana has progressed over the last 19 years. To say otherwise would be “lying through the teeth”. All, including those who lament that nothing has happened since 1992, benefit from the many strides the country has made.

The daily routine for some, including the naysayers, who go home and warm their food in a microwave, take a shower from faucets that spout hot and cold water, watch cable television and sleep comfortably in an air-conditioned room, is further evidence of the things that are now available to all and which are no longer a luxury. In fact owning a modern home is easily facilitated through the Ministry of Housing’s programme and the financial facilities available at commercial banks, including interest rates of about 4%! What a difference!
Indeed dis time is far from lang time!