Dear Editor,

I AM not usually in the habit or business of responding to statements when they clearly are not factual and are made by individuals who ought to know better. This senseless game of playing pseudo-politics with a dreadful health situation is distasteful and sinister to say the least. Therefore, I will attempt being factual and concise as possible, because it’s about clearing the air and setting the record straight as opposed to scoring cheap political points and getting people worked up about the wrong things at the wrong time.

Firstly, let me say that the letter dated April 8, 2021, by Annie Baliram in the Kaieteur News is a classic example of lack of knowledge and retention about the government’s plan to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and its even bigger inoculation programme.  Baliram must know that despite the public statements, press releases and advisories issued by no lesser persons than the President of Guyana Irfaan Ali and the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony that Guyana is not wasting any time in vaccinating every Guyanese who wants to get vaccinated. After the first vaccine administered successfully in the U.S. in December 2020, Guyana kick-started its own plan to procure the vaccines. President Ali again reiterated that vaccines were arriving in February and soon after in limited portions.

Guyana is working with the WHO stakeholders and through CARICOM to secure more effective dosages so as to prevent a large-scale crisis here. It would appear that the system of inoculation is working fine, with a steady flow of people accessing the vaccine dosage in a structured manner. Everyone knows that Guyana’s topography and geography are things that have to be considered, along with storage constraints. Therefore, saying that the government should try to get a million doses is a bit far-fetched and far-reaching. After all, there is no shortage while the population accesses the vacancies. The health officials are working as fast as the system would allow, considering the places that they have to reach.

As more people get tested, the numbers of the infected will go up once they are not following the guidelines and social distancing. The cases, which today stand at 10,718 with new cases responsible for 81 cases of that total, is unfortunately expected to climb again if vaccination is not helped by the guidelines for staying safe.  The 250 deaths is an alarming number and the government is taking it seriously by monitoring and upgrading its human-resource capacity. Also, capital investment is being made so as to make the hospital and outpatient facilities better able to adapt to dealing with not only inoculation, but with symptomatic cases as well.

So, it’s vaccination and testing that the government is trying to balance on one hand, while it is dealing with socioeconomic threats to the economy on the other hand. The President and his ministers are working around the clock to avert any crisis, while Guyana looks at reopening its borders for business.

Secondly, and the letter writer is correct, the $25,000 COVID-19 cash grant should be higher and the government knows this by now. I am sure that the government is working on something else or other lucrative measures that will assist the poor and vulnerable population as we navigate this health pandemic. It will make more interventions as the finances become available in areas of social assistance, social security, employment, and welfare. It must manage our country’s finances wisely or prudently, unlike the last APNU+AFC regime which left Guyana almost bankrupt. I am grateful for this assistance and expect more interventions for as long as the COVID-age lasts.

Thirdly, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo appears to be getting the blame for everything that happens in government, even though these decisions are made collectively and not individually; and the COVID-19 task force has doctors, lawyers, members of the security forces and academia advising the government too.

Lastly, it was the APNU+AFC government and ministers who were living “a Cadillac lifestyle in a donkey cart economy.” There have been no increases in their earnings nor defence of what a minister should be making now as was the case when former State Minister and now turned Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmom had his say in 2015. There are no properties rented at exorbitant amounts as was the case for former Minister Simona Broomes.

The Irfaan Ali government will do more to fight COVID. It must be responsible while making the necessary interventions or it will lose far more persons than 1000. If the approach is not broken, don’t fix it, but improve upon it. There is no “good life” to be had in Guyana now. There is a better life under this government.

Yours truly,
Baldeo Mathura