GROWING up, I had only the knowledge of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), never paying heed to what they had done so far and what they were planning to do for the betterment of Guyana. As the years went by, elections kept coming and going and I still did not care. However, recently, with elections around the corner, I started seeing things differently; and being the person I am, I felt the urge in me to do something good, so as to make a difference.

The job I now have has given me the opportunity to see beyond; to look back, hearing and seeing the cries of many Guyanese who wanted to have things changed. I now see articles dating back to 1987 on the fuel crisis, cost of living, and water crisis, blackouts for 3-8 hours per day, and sometimes even longer.
In 1987, many wrote and cried out because of the increase in price for commodities by over a hundred percent.
Some wrote of how the People’s National Congress (PNC) had no regard for the feelings of their own people; how they had to endure pot-holed streets, living with no lights for the children to do their homework; and indeed, many children’s eyes were strained, due to the use of kerosene lamps. Rice and flour were scarce, and their prices were sky high. The people paid their taxes, but the Government had nothing much to show for it, as productivity was disastrously low for a variety of reasons.
I read through an article where it is recorded that in the first week of 1989, the Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC) was shut down, and hospitals, one of the most important service, were severely affected. The said article detailed how minibuses were off- duty due to fuel problems, and how water was rationed. When the PPP took over again in 1992, Guyana was in some serious debts, and the country was in shambles.
Look now, and what do I see? I see a much better country.
Food is plentiful and affordable; water is not a problem; and movement is easy, as there is no fuel problem. There have been continuing investments, as many local and international companies, such as Qualfon and BK International, have plugged millions of US dollars into ventures, thereby creating thousands of jobs.
I think of the Berbice River Bridge; it has been maximising time and saving money. I add, too, that the Ministry of Housing & Water is making home-ownership very easy; and I see constant repairing and upgrading of a number of roads.
Readers need to think of how rice availability is no longer a headache, as the industry has experienced a complete turnaround, and has today become one of the best performers in the agriculture sector.
Mr. Editor, I can go on and on and pinpoint how Guyana has changed over the years, and is being developed more and more, in all the different areas. I truly see and believe that we have come from poverty to prosperity, so the people who saw and know of the 1980s, why not teach and pass on history to the little ones. We must answer if we really want the PNC people back in power at any time. PNC is being called by various names: A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) that is a combination for the PNC and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). Now the Alliance For Change (AFC) has joined them, but this changes nothing. To me, the PNC, no matter how it camouflages itself, will still continue to be the destruction of Guyana.
MARIA KARIM