Dear Editor,
MANY harsh statements were made in the press and on television by both the Opposition and GAWU in relation to my stance on the privatisation of Guysuco, especially Skeldon Estate. Yet Mr. Jagdeo himself said in the press recently that he was more concerned about the transparency of the privatisation process. Even the leader of the Opposition has implicitly accepted the fact that privatisation is the way forward for Guysuco. So why is this insane haste to crucify me? What wrongs have I committed?
I am not ringing my own bell and beating my own drum, but at the last Berbice Expo and Trade Fair my sterling contribution to the social and economic development of Region Six was highlighted by none other than the President of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Mohammed Raffik. He emphasised this fact by stating that, “Mr. Harbhajan works harder than any MP in the Region and I commend him for his 58/59 all-weather road proposal and encourage him to continue his good work.”
He did not state that, ‘Harbhajan cannot write grammatically correct letters or use fancy words in his diction.’ NO, he simply stated the facts. I have been receiving hundreds of complaints and have been having speedy resolutions through the various government institutions and ministries to many of them, be it floods, droughts, impassable dams, drainage and irrigation issues affecting farmers, sporting events and some serious crimes. The list is long and never before has an OPM been established in Berbice to deal with such a varied assortment of social and economic issues. The representative of the prime minister’s office has been making an invaluable contribution in Berbice.
What has Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha and other MPs done in Region Six? A lot of people don’t even know the MPs. They saw them as PPP activists on TV cussing down the government for everything going wrong in Berbice without realising that the PPP runs Region Six. How much assistance have they given to victims of the recent floods? Mr. Mustapha as an MP should list his achievements at the next TV outing. Everyone knows that he was an utter failure as the Region Six Chairman.
But the MP in hiding is the former Head of the Region Six Health Authority, Mr Vishwa Mahadeo. This man is not visible at all. He is worse than Mustapha. I have never seen this man writing anything about Guysuco, but he once made a special appearance at a GAWU meeting in Skeldon. I would like this man as well to list his achievements other than lambasting the government at Skeldon.
There are other ‘hardly working MPs in Berbice’ who are collecting their fat salaries which they are getting and also enjoying their duty-free concessions. These MPs should resign with immediate effect and allow some persons who really care for the progress of Region Six to take their places.
Recently, I have brought to light the massive inefficiencies at the Skeldon factory which have been traced to the wilful dumping of cane juice and the falsification of records. This system was established in the PPP’s era and remained hidden all the while. This was caused by the way in which the factory itself was designed and constructed. Is GAWU ever aware of this? Is the PPP aware of this? The answer is yes, but they cannot expose it because the blame will be placed on the ‘white elephant’ and its masters who brought it into existence.
The MPs in Region Six should make a field trip to have a first-hand experience of the PPP’s ‘white elephant’ in action. Then they can go on TV and tell the public what they saw. Work for your money gentlemen.
I must congratulate the PPP and GAWU for marketing me and my office so effectively, to make mine a household name in Region Six. Thanks gentlemen.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Gobin Harbhajan
Regional Representative- Office of the Prime Minister
Regional Democratic Councillor Region Six
