Green has seen the light too late

Dear Editor, Self-anointed Elder

Hamilton Green now enjoys the press freedom that he and his fellow headhunters denied the Guyanese populace in the heyday of the PNC. His constant outpourings about good governance and equal opportunities are best surmised in the book Treasure Island (by Robert Louis Stephenson, 1883): too late she cried, waving her wooden leg.

Green compares Guyana to what Kuwait has done with their oil resources, and remarks: Scholarships are offered to attend approved universities in North America to pursue bachelor’s degrees and even Master’s degrees, tuition and allowances paid.

Guyanese had to go to Cuba (while the local university required National Service) and Russia.

I attended University of Guyana in the same time period and on the same scholarship as one of Guyana’s learned judges, who did not know in 2018 that the majority of 65 is 33! It took eighteen months and millions of dollars for the Caribbean Court of Justice to tell the PNC headhunters this -something any high school student could have done for free. PNC children had similar privileges, but were well rewarded with jobs in the upper echelons of the administration, while their counterparts were dispersed in lowly public positions. In the words of George Orwell (Animal Farm): All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. On the issue of baby milk being gifted in Kuwait, local mothers had to contend with plantain flour. Free health care was of high quality, not the type of Cuban medicine men in Guyana’s hospitals. Is it possible that the crop of infants who were born and raised during the seven-year period of banned food items (1978-85) have less developed mental prowess due to poor quality food?

Green epitomises Saul, the murderer in the Bible, who somersaulted into Paul the Apostle. When a particular sector of the population was almost always invariably the victims of kick-down-the-door rampage, Hamilton Green’s silence can be construed as a form of acquiescence.

The Elder held a variety of portfolios, like Minister of Agriculture; Health; Works & Hydraulics; Sports; Mayor of Georgetown, and even acted as President! He had huge resources at his disposal to install the very facets of governance he constantly laments to be missing. Elder quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson: “truth is too simple for us; we do not like those who unmask our illusion”. A simple extrapolation can include “we do not like those who unmask the truth in our past”.

The fact that the country covets the same population for 57 years since Independence can be directly attributed to the marginalisation of persons who dare challenge autocracy and express candid opinions of all past and even present regimes; but this is the so-called snowball effect which was initiated by Green and his Party of paramountcy dictatorship.

A day late and a dollar short, the former minister of six portfolios under Dictator Burnham should also realise that the freedom to write does not translate to being correct, nor the right to be taken seriously.

Sincerely,

Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine

Were Nagamootoo, Ramjattan induced with money when they switched sides?

Dear Editor, How come it is okay for Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan to switch allegiances from the PPP to PNC/APNU+AFC, but somehow it is not okay for the likes of Patricia Chase–Green to do the reverse?

I ask this question in response to a letter published in the Stabroek News on April 19th, 2023, in which PNC supporter Eric Moseley insinuates that Chase–Green was induced with some sort of “incentive”, given, according to him, that she was once a fervent PPP critic.

Nagamootoo and Ramjattan were staunch critics of the PNC for decades. Readers would also recall that they went ahead and merged with the PNC despite earlier declaring that to do so would render them “dead meat.” So how come it is okay for them to do so, but not okay for PNC members to throw their support behind the PPP – particularly Afro-Guyanese?

But this issue shows how poorly the PNC think of their Afro-Guyanese supporters – that they can be easily bought, and are motivated only by financial and other rewards.

Those currently in their good graces should take note. It matters not that you might be dissuaded by their racist, incompetent and uninspiring leadership. It matters not that you might have been disgusted by their blatant and comical attempt to remain in office through fraud. For them, once you exercise your democratic right to support a party of your choosing and that choice is not the PNC/ APNU+AFC, you are a sellout.

Yours sincerely, Alvin Hamilton

Dear Editor, The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce wishes to refute certain tendentious statements attributed to Her Worship Waneka Arrindell, Mayor of Linden, as published on April 17, 2023.

In her release, Mayor Arrindell sought to convey a theme of neglect for Linden by this administration, making specific reference to the Linden Town Week 2023.

The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce has been consistent in its support for Linden and the wider Region 10, as have other Ministries of the Government. The Ministry routinely receives requests for sponsorship from across the country. These requests are assessed for merit, their alignment with the Ministry’s strategic direction, and in light of budgetary realities. Over the last 12 months, the Ministry has received numerous requests from Linden and the wider Region 10, and we have responded favourably to many of these.

In 2022, we supported activities in Region 10 for Tourism Awareness Month with approximately $1.1 million in funding, and in totality, $500,000 was given in the fiscal year 2022 in support of Linden Town Week activities. In fact, during that period, in recognition of the tremendous tourism potential of Region 10, the Ministry launched national Tourism Awareness Month in Linden. We did so to manifest our commitment to, and support for, the community, and exemplify our policy that all regions have valuable roles to play in our country’s development.

This year, we are supporting event organizers from Linden who have planned activities to coincide with Town Week 2023, such as the Linden Building Expo and the Entrepreneurial Village & Arts Festival. Our support for these events includes financial assistance to the tune of $500,000.

Outside of these events, the Ministry supported the Inter-school Kayaking Competition for 2022 and 2023, the Inter-regions Kayaking Competition, and the Fish Extravaganza. Funding has also been approved for sponsorship of the Best of Linden Magazine 2023 publication.

On a related note, the Ministry continues to work closely with stakeholders in Region 10 as part of our broader work plan, including facilitating Regional Tourism Workshops.

Overall, contrary to the misrepresentations proffered by the mayor, the Ministry has invested just shy of $5M in support of activities and initiatives in Region 10 – including Linden – over the last 12 months.

We advise Mayor Arrindell that “One Guyana” is no mere cliché, but is a philosophy of the PPP Civic Administration, which we continuously demonstrate in our policies and pro- grammes which are implemented in all regions of our country for the benefit of all of our people.

Government will continue to actively support sustainable and feasible initiatives in Linden, as we do in all our communities in our country. In doing so, we call on Mayor Arrindell to prior- itise progress above politics, and to discharge her responsibility to her constituents by working with the administration to realize benefits for the municipality of Linden.

Sincerely, Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023