READING the editorial of the July 22, 2012 edition of the Sunday Stabroek, one cannot help but wonder whether this newspaper has contracted out the writing of its editorials to an irrational, anti-government force.
I am shocked and appalled by the utter disrespect for His Excellency President Donald Ramotar, when the editorial accused him of “talking nonsense”.  Did the Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday Stabroek read this piece before publication? Is this the level of lawless journalism that the Stabroek News is advocating?

The editorial declared with certainty how peaceful the protesters were behaving. Culpability for everything that went wrong was directed totally at the Guyana Police Force and the government. Yet the very editorial urged that the government should not ‘dilly-dally’ on having an enquiry conducted. If the Stabroek News is so sure of what transpired, then why are they still urging an enquiry?

Further, the writer accused the government and police of being unprepared for a possible riotous situation. Are they saying that it is the right of protesters to be riotous and government should be condemned if they are not prepared to facilitate this right to be unruly?

And more importantly, the fundamental issue at hand: the Stabroek News editorial is written on the notion that it is the right of Lindeners not to pay an increased tariff for electricity consumption.  Some argued that the government is trying to impose steep increase in electricity rates without consultation with the people of Linden. This is terribly misleading!

The integration of Linden into the national electricity grid was in the making since under the Forbes Burnham administration.  Only recently comments made by then Prime Minister Burnham in 1976 were reported in the press where Mr. Burnham urged “Let us understand a few things straight. Socialism is not freeness. What we hope to do when you are integrated into the general scheme is to bring you straight under the umbrella of the Guyana Electricity Corporation.”

He further went on to caution “I do not promise you that you will necessarily get it cheaper than other people, because, as Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, not of the Republic of Linden, get that straight once and for all comrades”.

Just to understand the magnitude in the cost differential between Linden and the rest of Guyana, in 2011 the subsidy to each residential customer worked out to about $17,000 per month.  The government is simply seeking to gradually phase  the Linden customer into the national grid.

I remember when the Opposition Leader and President were initially discussing the subject and APNU had endorsed the increase tariff, there were heated debates in the social media, including facebook where APNU member James Bond went at length to convince his Linden APNU colleagues that the increase is intended to discourage wastage and to be fair to the rest of Guyana. Of course, when the APNU reneged these comments were swiftly removed. But we saw them and we continue to see the dishonesty of the people who are leading Lindeners down a destructive path.

One AFC executive member was quoted as saying that the AFC intends to seek the support of sugar workers for Linden. How more blatantly ridiculous can the AFC be?  There are going to seek to have sugar workers come out and support a refusal of Lindeners to pay their fair share for electricity consumption while these very sugar workers are paying a higher rate.  Would this not be a horrible insult to the sugar workers and generally people all across Guyana who are paying a higher tariff than the increased Linden rates?

As a young person in this nation, I wish to humbly call on our leaders to let good sense and peace prevail.  Quit misleading and using the people of Linden for political mileage.  Going down the destructive path of burning and hindering economic activities can never lead to development.