Dear Editor,
I AM in possession of a leaflet, which I had observed being placed in my letter box last Friday afternoon by persons who turned out to be operatives of the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

They drove in a dark-coloured SUV, and were a mix of one elderly female who distributed the leaflets; two young Guyanese, one of whom was the driver. Of course, Guyana is a democracy, with every citizen having the democratic right of party affiliation, irrespective of ethnicity. As to the distributed document, entitled “VOTE PPP/C…”, it is undoubtedly a party election campaign document, desperate in its creation, and obviously in high anticipation of the CCJ overturning the Court of Appeal’s decision on the No- Confidence Motion vote. It is riddled, as is only to be expected, with misleading information and pernicious lies. After all, the PPP/C is a political party that is the biggest stranger to truth.

For evidence of this, reference is made to item six on the front page of this rag, under the caption, “New-found love for Guyanese”, with the following being quoted:
“Since the no-confidence motion was passed in the National Assembly and after four years of neglect, the coalition is now scurrying to demonstrate its “love” for Guyanese people through cosmetic events: Job fairs for youths, concerts and Government Public Days. However, these have been exposed as farcical. These events fail to address the needs of Guyanese; there is no tangible solution to questions about job creation or easing of hardships placed on the backs of Guyanese. Instead, new promises are being made; even while the old promises remain unfulfilled”.

Call this a most significant piece of political distortion, in the realm of its attempts at misleading citizens with its horrible lies that can only flow from the known cesspool of Freedom House.

* The coalition government began to show its love, care and concern for the Guyanese people, its working-class particularly, from the very first day of taking office, when it quickly responded to the then Chairperson of GuySuCo’s cries that the “industry is broke”. It responded with an immediate initial subsidy of $12B for continuity of an industry destroyed by the PPP/C administration. Added to this fact have been government’s ameliorated measures for those workers who have been terminated, by offering alternative livelihood choices.

* Of course, “job fairs’’ are being held, that have been attracting young Guyanese across the ethnic divide. These are quite normal guidance exercises, done in other jurisdictions, since they point employment prospects, and even advise students as to where future employment opportunities are. Of course, the PPP/C must be reminded that their period of government, which had been characterized by a 45% rate of youth employment, managed a system that ensured employment opportunities for children of their party supporters, while discrimination had been suffered by Afro Guyanese youths. It was not uncommon for the latter category of youths that possessed both satisfactory CXCs and CAPE subjects, to be consistently denied employment in the Public Service.

And as an indication of this government’s commitment to ensuring that the nation’s youths are included in the socio-development scheme of the nation, entrepreneurial programmes, with a view of empowerment for various opportunities that have begun to emerge. The Hinterland Educational Youth Services (HEYS) serve as a significant example of empowerment that has so far placed over 4000 Hinterland young people in start-up economic ventures. This is a removal from the unenlightened, politically controlled former PPP/C initiative of Community Support Officers (CSOs) which only function was to use these hundreds of Hinterland youths for selfish narrow political ends.

* About “concerts’’: It is well known that a certain PPP/C big-wig, in partnership with two well-known events promoters had a free rein to bring to this country, virtually every fortnight, well-known Reggae and Dancehall stars to Guyana. This was a deliberate plot that had been influenced by a traditional stereotype that Afro-Guyanese young people were only interested in partying. The political masters of the day reasoned that such entertainment would serve to “keep Afro-youths quiet”.

* Sure, there are what the PPP/C leaflet has described as “Public Days”; and these have indeed been groundbreaking initiatives that continue to expose the callous and ineptness with which the former PPP/C administration dealt with the affairs of the people, even with the latter that hailed from their bastions of political support. To this end, it was significant that Halim Khan, the President of the Region Three Chamber of Commerce, in a report carried in Sunday’s edition of the Guyana Chronicle, hailed the recent government outreach there as “impacting’’. He alluded to citizens receiving support for issues relating to agriculture, housing, and the community. He also mentioned about the new LED highway lights that will be installed from Wales to Parika; upgrades to farm-to-market roads in a region that is predominantly agricultural; “long overdue’’ infrastructural works at the Leonora and West Demerara Hospitals, in addition to the installation of equipment for the laboratory and gynaecology departments; and training upgrades for health staff that will “help in their providing a better quality of service to residents….”

It is a tragedy to truth; (but we can expect more of this kind of propaganda and fake news with the recent hiring by the PPP/C of the Washington-based global political lobbying firm, Mercury Public Affairs LLC) and an utter crime that the PPP/C can attempt to be so shameless in its lies that seek to besmirch a government that has done so much, even from the very first day of its ascension to office.

Despite the fact that the government has not been triumphal in its numerous achievements, or blowing its own trumpets, which it has every right to do, the material changes that have been carried to all of the Ten Administrative Regions, is testimony to an administration that prefers to use its valuable time in the interests and service of the citizens, serving their needs. This is the essence of governance – serving the people. And they are getting results.
Regards,
Earl Hamilton