| By Ralph SeeramUncle Rawlins was the nicest person you could meet, one of the best neighbours you could have, and very respectful. He was a close family friend and always a fixture at our home on special occasions. He will never ever pass our house without saying good morning or good afternoon to my parents.And so it was until that morning when he passed our house without saying “Morning.” He just rode straight ahead without looking at our house. I was young then and curiously I ask my mother why Uncle Rawlins did not say “Good morning neighbour Beauty”. Well to make a “long story short” it was the morning after elections and his party had lost the elections to the PPP. Yes politics or I should say, racial politics, drove a wedge into the years of friendship between my parents and Uncle Rawlins.That was some 50yrs ago. Today I wonder how much has changed since then. Some may argue not much. We still have racial politics practised on both sides of the political aisle, more so by the voters themselves most of whom still maintain a pattern of racial voting. So as we approach tomorrow’s elections the question remains, “Will the Guyanese electorate continue the same pattern of voting? Or is this the year the “mould will be broken”?. Would there be a shift from the dominant two main political parties as the AFC is hoping for? Would there be more cross over votes for either the PPP or PNC/APNU? I sometimes wonder if the AFC is any different as I see it, no matter what clothing the party seems to be wearing today,Cheap Jerseys China, the cloth came from either the PPP or the PNC, and so the sudden conversion from the policies of their old party should be questioned.That is something that voters should take into consideration when casting their votes tomorrow. Are the leaders of AFC genuine converts from the policies of their old party, especially ones like Moses Nagamootoo who a short while ago wanted to head the very PPP he is now castigating?Before I go further I should mention that Uncle Rawlins’s disappointment only lasted a few days. In less than a week things were back to normal; the friendship proved to be much stronger than the politics.We are back to tomorrow’s election, and who should have my support if I were a voter. Since I lived through most of the PNC years I must take into consideration that party’s performance during its years in office. Of course a sizable number of the electorate never experienced what I am about to say so they may have a different criterion.The PNC cannot and must not get away from its past even if it is dressed up as APNU these days.These are the people that foisted themselves on the Guyanese populace through fraudulent rigging of elections for some 28 yrs. These are the people who said that the PNC party was superior to the State and Government; these are the people who banned essential food items such as flour, potatoes, onions sardines etc. etc.The young may not know how many people were jailed by the PNC government for having in their possession any of the items listed above. When the flour was legal and you had too much,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping, say like 10 pounds it was considering hoarding, you were charged and sent to jail; that is something to take into consideration.And by the way the banning of food items affected all sections of the society and not one race as some have suggested. The “rain fell on everyone’s doors” except the PNC officials”.Today we talk about corruption in the PPP government. Well that was the norm of the PNC. These are the people who created a forced labour camp under the guise of the Guyana National Service. These are the people that forced Guyanese to line up in scorching sun for hours to purchase a pound of flour or sugar or whatever was available, sometimes a pint of cooking oil.Forget about the destruction of the country’s infrastructure and economy. Yes these are the things I must consider in order to decide if they deserve to be given another opportunity. Of course there are some who would disagree with me, and take issue with bring up the past.However the statements above are factual,Jerseys Wholesale, and undeniable, and should be a factor in deciding if the PNC should be given another opportunity the country.Here we are on to the PPP which has been in power for the last nineteen years. Last week I wrote that Guyana is in a much better place today than under the PNC and a few readers disagreed with me judging from the email responses I received. Their rebuttal however was not in the form of facts,Adrian Wilson Jersey, but more like” you are a racist”, “stay out of Guyana” etc. etc.I really welcome these responses. It tells me people are passionate about the country, it’s nice that people can express their views openly without fear, because there was a time in Guyana when you could not. The strongest accusation against the PPP is corruption, and in many way justifiably so. Kaieteur News has been in the forefront of exposing corruption within the PPP Government.I certainly do not condone corruption, especially people placed in public trust with taxpayers dollars. It is my hope that those who made generous use of taxpayers dollars illegally, be brought to justice and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.Weighing against the PPP also is the crime situation. The PPP no doubt failed to take bold measures to control crime and to a degree corruption in the police force. While the PPP has increased expenditure on the police force to strengthen its hand against criminals, crimes like armed robbery seem to go unabated.To be fair the police have been successful in apprehending some armed criminals. They are responding better. Still I feel the Government has not taken the kind of bold initiatives control crime, Trinidad and Tobago comes to mind.That crime and corruption are the main faults of the PPP government. However I would have to weigh that against all the positives things the PPP has done for the country.Financially the economy is in excellent condition,Cheap China Jerseys, with the Treasury boasting of having over US$750 million,Jerseys NFL China, considering that the Treasury was bankrupt when the PPP came in office.The PPP success in housing the nation is unquestionable, more Guyanese owns their own home and house lots (and I am not talking about the Pradovilles) just the working class. More Guyanese are driving their own motor cars; Georgetown is becoming one congested city.The country’s infrastructure has improved tremendously–excellent roads from the airport to Crabwood Creek, as well as the interior .Despite all thieving one can see very visible sign of progress, more visible to an outsider like me who knows what it was before the PPP took to Government in1992.During this campaign it was up to the PPP to convince the Guyanese electorate that their performance during the past 19 years has improved the quality of their live and entitles them to be reelected for another five years. The answer will come in the next 48 hours.When Tuesday morning comes,Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes, let’s not have a repeat of Uncle Rawlins. Whether your party wins or loses, open your windows or door, call out to your neighbours, congratulate them, invite them for a drink and tell them “nah matta who win, all awee still gat to wuk and pay VAT.”Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: [email protected] |
