Dear Editor
DURING this period onwards it is of utmost importance that one pays close attention to the words and utterances of people posing as leaders, especially those who are desperate for power and the proceeds from our patrimony—OIL.

Several days ago it was publicly stated, that if elected, the PPP will create 50,000 jobs and increase African faces in their party. We all know that the purpose of the latter is for a showpiece. However, the former begs numerous questions. Why, after 23 years of governance, the PPP is now expressing concern over the rate of unemployment? Embattled former Minister of Housing and the now presidential candidate for the PPP, Irfaan Ali, promised to invest 1Billon dollars to create 50,000 jobs. Wow!

In respect of each job to be created from this promise, the PPP would only be paying G$20,000.00, per worker. I would venture to say not even a sugar worker would take that job, for the proposed pay is way below the government’s minimum wage. Therefore, that promise makes no practical or mathematical sense.

Can the PPP demonstrate how they have helped our nation’s youth to improve their lives in those 23 years? What youth policy have they created and promoted to harness the talents of Guyana’s youth?

The report of the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development done in 2010– “Eye on the Future” (page XiV) stated, “Levels of youth unemployment in the Region are among the highest in the world. Many youth confirm what some experts conclude, namely, that the system of education does not prepare them adequately for the regional and global labour market.” The report further stated, “Eighty-five per cent of Caribbean nationals between the ages of 15 and 29 would migrate to more developed countries if they had the choice and the necessary resources.” The findings also mentioned other phenomena such as, that the staggering rate of primary education dropouts, and HIV which was the main disease killing young Caribbean nationals.

Despite the findings of this highly publicised report in 2010, Jagdeo and the PPP did not heed or give any attention to the real issues affecting our youth, but suddenly, Power Hungry Jagdeo and the PPP are now suddenly expressing interest in our nation’s youth.

The PPP’s policy of No Child Left Behind enabled children who could not write their names to be promoted to higher grades; and even those who failed final exams were promoted to other classes as well. While they failed to prepare many of our young people for employment, they are now saying that they will now create 50,000 jobs? Does the puppet master and Irfaan Ali think young people are foolish to buy these senseless, empty campaign promises?

According to the Bureau of Statistics the country’s unemployment rate for 2018 is 12%. It is a fact that all of these unemployed people are not available to work,due to the fact that many of them are between the ages of 15-22 and are full-time students. So who is he creating 50,000 jobs for? Also, what kind of employment does he plan to provide? Does he plan to increase the public sector by rehiring the children of those who were retrenched when he privatised the bauxite companies?

Does he plan to rehire those people who were fired, due to victimisation by the PPP? Does he plan to rehire those workers who lost their jobs at Globe Trust?

Between 1991-1997, employment in the public service shrank by 45 percent, in Linden (Linmine) by 43 percent, in Bermine by 30 percent, and in Guysuco by 35 per cent. How come all of a sudden Jagdeo and Ali are now promising jobs? Weren’t they aware of these disappointing statistics? According to the Bureau of Statistics, Population and Housing census of 2002, the total amount of persons unemployed were 30,739. Over 30,000 people Mr. Editor and the PPP has never once addressed this issue.

From all of the evidence in the public domain, the inclusion of African-Guyanese in the PPP party is a fallacy; if this is to materialise, it would only serve as a showpiece window dress for the gullible, to create false hope. The coalition government led by president David Granger reflects that of the Guyanese populace, with its multiplicity of ethnicities and differences in religious persuasions. Even Stevie Wonder can see that there is no room for diversity in the PPP.

It must be noted that no African-Guyanese was selected as an ambassador during the PPP’s tenure in office, so I would like Dr. Roger Luncheon to now advise, if African-Guyanese are now qualified to hold such positions, as he verbally expressed, “No African-Guyanese were qualified to be foreign ambassadors for Guyana”? Or maybe the former president Bharrat Jadgeo.

More questions arise as to why no African-Guyanese with an economics degree, who was employed at the Ministry of Finance or Bank of Guyana during the PPP government, was appointed to represent Guyana at the World Bank, the IMF and the IDB on any of the work attachments in 23 years.

A Bureau of Statistics survey in 2017 supported by the IDB, reflected that more than half of the working-age population in Guyana received only primary education, while 9.9 percent of those who work never went to school; a quarter of the working- age population has upper secondary education and only 2.8 percent has a Bachelor’s degree. Take note, that all of the respondents to the survey done by the Bureau of Statistics attended school during the PPP’s era 1992-2015.

In 2006, the then Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Mr. Frank Anthony, advised that the final draft of the National Youth Policy will soon be completed. In 2014, eight years later, Frank Anthony expressed, “Extensive consultations were held to formulate the National Youth Policy.” Of course, there was no youth policy so it therefore begs the question again: what was the reason for the continued failure of the PPP to implement a functional National Youth Policy?” Frank continues to fail even to be his own party’s presidential hopeful.

During the PPP’s tenure, there were many visible, deep social ills among young people such as suicide, teenage pregnancy, police brutality and the increased school dropout rate, but the PPP did not address any of these phenomena affecting our youth. Now, after 23 years of malfeasance, corruption, nepotism and racism, gross misconduct by those who used their offices for enrichment of themselves and friends, are now here to tell us that they will provide 50,000 jobs? For whom? The young people that they deliberately forgot?

Our youths will not give you a second chance because they are smarter than that and they realise that their votes count. If the PPP were serious about creating jobs they would not have used the sugar workers as pawns in their political game. Instead, they would have engaged in divestment of the sugar industry, which would have created new industries and jobs for our young people, instead of forcing them to migrate in order to find jobs.

If they so cared about young people, why did they cut the government subsidy for the law students in 2002, forcing law students and their parents to take out elaborate loans and to mortgage their properties to ensure that their children could complete their law degrees.

The PPP also ensured that the University of Guyana was starved of funds, thereby even affecting the quality of education of an entire generation of young people. I say this to Bharrat Jagdeo and his puppet Irfaan Ali, that you do not care about our nation’s youth.

Instead, under your watch, there was the execution of over 400 Guyanese young men from Linden, Buxton, Agricola, and many other parts of the country, whose mothers weep and wail every night because their sons were brutally murdered by the hands of hired killers.
The David Granger administration believes in the youth of Guyana, that’s why His Excellency has placed a special interest in their education, and ensured that the youth policy, sports policy, SLED programme and many others, provide opportunities for them.

Guyana under the David Granger-led coalition government is better equipped to continue serving this nation for the benefit of all Guyanese. We must never allow ourselves to forget that most evil, wicked and corrupt PPP administration.
Forward ever, backward never
Jermaine Figueira
Member of Parliament
Region 10