Dear Editor
CRIME is one of the most common features that exist in every society– the developed and the developing. There are many contributing factors that result in individuals committing all manner of crimes or being involved in unlawful conduct.

A study completed by the White House reflected that raising the minimum wage reduces crime by three to five per cent. More education, more job opportunities, school-enrichment activities, and a basic living wage all aid in reducing both property and violent crime, as well as crime among adolescents. (The Atlantic Monthly; 2016; https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/raise-the-minimum-wage-reduce-crime/480912/).

The aforementioned study and official statistics prove that President Granger is frontally addressing the issues relating to crime and poverty in Guyana. Most will agree, that one who is knowledgeable/educated is more equipped and is better positioned to make good decisions and not get involved in crime and more importantly, can lift him or herself out of poverty.

The greatest investment in our people and the country’s future is in the education sector. A sector under the David Granger administration that has been given consistently the largest share of the national budget. The President’s belief in an “education nation” to lift Guyana out from the abyss of 23 years of corruption, crime, personal enrichment of politicians, their families and cronies, drugs, extra-judicial killings and much more nefarious doing is by making resources available and using it strategically.

The David Granger administration has been providing improved educational opportunities and accessibility to all forms of education (scholarships, academic, vocational, training, STEM, robotics, etc), providing a more equipped and well-trained police force, restoration of trust in our judiciary and has consciously provided our hard-working Guyanese with unprecedented and consistent increases in wages and salaries since our political independence, starting from 2015 to present.

From its embryonic stage into government in 2015 to present, the David Granger-led administration has raised the salaries of public servants by 77 %, with the increase for 2019 being up to 9 per cent “tax-free” retroactive salary increase for “all public servants.”
Additionally, personal allowances have also increased significantly. The government has consciously reduced income-tax rates and the tax on employees’ contributions to the NIS was removed over the last four and a half years. All those undertakings and more were continuously done to ensure that all Guyanese experience “the good life”.

With these living wages, all Guyanese, especially youths, can aspire to legitimate forms of employment, unlike what we experienced under the PPP/C administration, when Guyana was a cesspool of illicit drugs a narco-state, and many of our youths who had no opportunities fell prey as mules of the once-thriving underworld economy.

It must be noted that the PPP showed wanton disregard for public servants. Each year the PPP that politicised, manipulated, influenced and hijacked our armed forces, gave the armed forces only a bonus at the end of each year as a pathetic loyalty hire-purchase instalment. They did so without any significant increase to their salaries.

Our compassionate leader and arguably the most progressive and transformative President of our generation, has consistently given increases to “all public servants” without discrimination. His only motive being to advance the living standards of all Guyanese citizens who deserve it.

Mr Editor, please note that all of the unprecedented increases in salaries and allowances were done without “oil funds.” Can you imagine, can our public servants imagine, what will happen when the APNU+AFC administration goes back into power after March 2 and manages the oil funds? Guyanese citizens will be the ultimate beneficiaries.

Mr Editor, on the contrary, we have seen how Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP mismanaged the country’s economy. We have seen who were awarded huge and consistent government contracts and lands; we have seen how the PPP’s friends and cronies amassed unexplainable wealth. We have seen who were enriched under the Jagdeo PPP regime, just Jagdeo and his chosen few, while the underground economy was allowed to grow and flourish; legitimate businesses suffered under the PPP/C administration. Mr Editor, since President Granger and the APNU+AFC government have focused on providing a good life for all with creating a living wage for our Guyanese public servants, their spending power has increased and those legitimate businesses are now enjoying and are flourishing, based on the spending power of our public servants.

Jagdeo’s PPP, unconscionably gave public servants mediocre increases, then subsequently raised the NIS rates and even taxed public servants’ NIS contributions. Even the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), which is sustained by private and public workers, was hijacked by the Jagdeo cabal. A forensic audit carried out under the coalition government noted that the PPP/C used the NIS funds as a convenient slush fund.

The minutes of the 448th meeting of the NIS board held on July 20, 2012, reflected that the PPP/C Cabinet used NIS funds to purchase a property in Paramaribo, Suriname, for €535,000 (G$123,561,394.00). It is unclear why Jagdeo used insurance contributions from hard-working Guyanese to purchase a property in Suriname. The minutes of the 445th meeting of the NIS board reflected that the PPP/C administration instructed the NIS board to purchase 950,000 shares in the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. Jagdeo, without consulting, gambled with the future pension payments of workers, many of them public servants, whom he ensured receive small salaries.

In 2019 the Finance Ministry’s Half Year Report revealed that the NIS was in a $748.4 Million deficit for the year. Jagdeo, the PPP/C’s leader, general secretary, opposition leader, ventriloquist of his party’s presidential candidate and PPP/C’S only vociferous spokesperson will always be remembered for wrecking industries, hijacking the best of Guyana for himself and his chosen few and paying public servants low and unlivable wages.

Jagdeo’s legacy of paying public servants unlivable wages is not his only transgression: his tattered legacy also includes giving Guyana the most expensive river bridge in the world; crippled the National Insurance Scheme and plundered the treasury to keep the dead GUYSUCO sugar afloat, to mention a few.

In addition to Jagdeo’s long list of transgressions, his unpardonable sin that most Guyanese don’t know, especially the Guysuco workers, is that of giving himself a $3,000,000.00 dollars pension, with uncapped benefits a month, will never be erased from the minds of the public servants whom he kept in poverty, on the bread line, living from pay cheque to pay cheque, while himself and his chosen few enjoyed the nation’s wealth. It is important to note that Jagdeo’s self-administered pension was equal to the old age pension of 240 persons.

His Excellency, Brigadier Retired, David Arthur Granger, will go down in the annals of history as a man with a vision for Guyana; a vision that includes transforming of education sector; social services provision and transformative infrastructural development that is bridging the gap between the hinterland and the coastland, Since 2015, President Granger has provided public servants with a liveable wage, which is key to increased opportunities for a better life, crime reduction and enhanced public safety.
As was said before, President David Granger’s administration is better equipped to continue leading this country for the betterment of all Guyanese.

Regards
Jermaine Figueira
Member of Parliament
Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice)