FOR two decades, the PPP/C has worked unremittingly to reverse the

destruction and devastation visited upon Guyana and Guyanese by the former PNC regime, with magnificent success, especially as it relates to socio-economic development in this country, one that is poised to catalyse dramatically within the immediate future, from a base laid by the unrelenting efforts of former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who is now aptly referred to as ‘The architect of modern Guyana’, building upon a foundation laid in successive PPP manifestos by the vision of Dr Cheddi Jagan.
But the gains in the nation seem today to instead be on the brink of a downward trend as the government of the recently elected Donald Ramotar administration found itself in a quandary when the PPP/C lost its parliamentary majority to a vengeful joint opposition in the November 2011 general and regional elections.
The ludicrous irony of persons who had no inputs into Guyana’s wealth creation, even those who destroyed Guyana and left it a highly indebted country, arrogating to themselves the right to abrogate that wealth disposition to the nation and drive the workers of the country into joblessness, had sent shockwaves rippling throughout the country as the implications of the budgetary cuts slowly sank into the unbelieving minds of the nation.
Even the private sector was distressed because, apart from other constraining factors, disposable incomes would have been severely reduced in many families and government-run institutions, thus hampering purchasing power, with severe, deleterious ripple effects on the business community.
There was no logic to the madness as the opposition wielded its Sword of Damocles on the painstaking work of the Finance Minister, his supporting aides, and the various stakeholders in the nation’s economy.
The stunned disbelief of government MPs was replicated in the faces of even opposition media operatives who could not believe the socio-economic dislocations the opposition collective was prepared to visit upon the nation, merely for vindictive spite, and for showing the government, in Granger’s own words, “who is boss”.
The Amerindian communities and other persons who would suffer, with many losing their jobs as a consequence of that irrational budgetary massacre, was described as “collateral damage” by Khemraj Ramjattan.
However, this should not have been an unexpected eventuality when the joint opposition determinedly, exulting in its collective power vested through its one-vote/one-seat majority during the earlier sitting, when supplemental financial paper No. 7 was laid in the National Assembly, voted against its passage, thus leaving incomplete the country’s accounting records, which would be recorded as unresolved in the AG’s audit reports for the budget agencies in which the monies had been spent. According to legal and financial experts, this has never before happened in any other part of the world.
And those monies were spent on unforeseen expenses while the government had to continue its functionality while Parliament was prorogued to facilitate general and regional elections. The business of the state did not come to an abrupt halt during that period. The constitution makes provision for government to continue its work in such instances, and for the consequential supplemental papers to be laid in the National Assembly when next it convenes.
That supplemental financial paper shockingly did not gain passage through the recalcitrant power-drunkenness of the joint opposition; which did not care that the monies were spent for contractual financial obligations in preparatory work for the specialty hospital; flood relief and interventions in D&I; retroactive increases for public servants and joint services ranks; expenses for police ranks who were in-line during the elections period; funding for the extended registration period, and other such expenses in the nation’s interest.
And the farce continues, as the joint opposition continues to oppose the government in myriads of ways, using the Guyanese people as “collateral damage” to their frenzied lust for power.
However, incumbent President Donald Ramotar has vowed not to allow the nation to be held hostage to political opportunism and extremism, and to forge ahead with developing the nation.
The success of GuyExpo 2012 is a gauge of the judicious choices made by the Donald Ramotar administration.