Haseeb Ramjohn - Guyana Chronicle  Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Brighter Future for All  Throat slashed Continuous-progress  Domestic violence  67-granted-asylum  power-cable-bandits

Dear Editor,
We are about to commemorate our 44th Independence Anniversary (26-05-10), which is another turning point in our history. We gained Independence from British rule on the 26th of May 1966.

Just a few buggermen under our present PPP/C political regime

If we are to analyse our nation’s political history very carefully we can clearly see that we haven’t progressed very far as a nation over the past 44 years under the PNC and PPP socialist and communist political regimes.

We have seen Guyana become the second poorest nation under the PNC regime; and we are still struggling to survive under our present PPP/C political regime.
If we are honest with ourselves we can ask the following questions: What have we achieved as a nation after 44 years of independence and political struggle?
Why the mass exodus of over a million Guyanese over the past 44 years?
Why is it that people are afraid to live and work in Guyana?
Why are we now producing more illiterates, functional illiterates, and dysfunctional Illiterates?
Our education system has failed completely. More of our graduate teachers are leaving Guyana in search of better living standards in the Caribbean, Canada, Europe and the USA. 

Domestic violence and low morals in families are on the increase, our young generation have become school dropouts and are now peddling drugs and DVD on the street corners.
Street vending has become a normal way of life for a great majority of our Guyanese people to make ends meet. More than 50% working in the public and private sector work for less than US$15 per day.
The introduction of 16% VAT makes it more difficult for the poor man to survive against a mere 6% increase in wages. The rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer.
The GPL bills are killing the poor class as well as the rich, while blackout is still plaguing our nation. Phone bills are getting higher daily though we are told in the press we will get cheaper bandwidth soon.
How soon is that?
I still wonder how an average government worker who earns less than $50,000 per month can pay a light bill cost 15-20 thousand dollars per month, house rent, water bill and phone bill and still survive only on debt.

It’s not surprising bribery has become the order of the day. Guyanese have to depend on relatives abroad to send them barrels and small pittances to survive, while our politicians eat the best food, drive the best Prados and Tundras and live in houses valued millions, while half of our population live below the poverty line.
Most of our politicians and their children can afford overseas medical treatment but our poor Guyanese citizens will die at the hands of an incompetent doctor at public hospitals.
When Karl Marx wrote: ‘’The rich is getting richer and poor is getting poorer.’’ I think his prophetic philosophy really fits our Guyanese society.
What have we really produced so far as a nation after 44 years of independence? Many of our high school graduates and university graduates walk the streets selling goods and clothes and even doing odd jobs.
Our government failed to create job opportunities for our graduates and academics, thus forcing them to leave the shores of Guyana never to return in search of a better way of life.
Billions are spent on education yet pupils writing the grade 6 examinations can barely read or write. Many writing the CXC can hardly read because teachers are limited in schools today.
The brain drain has now become a national problem. Parents have to turn to private schools and private lessons to help their children.
How can a teacher attend UG three days per week and barely appear in a primary school class room to teach two days and want to get a full salary at the end of the month? Lots of our school teachers are collecting free salaries while pursuing degrees at UG. What has really become of our education system in Guyana?
Reading and writing have become a problem in almost every home in Guyana.
Under the British education system we produced some of the greatest scholars in the world such as: Sir Shridat Ramphal, Forbes Burnham, Martin Carter, Wilson Harris, Cheddi Jagan etc.
Today we have produced so much dunces and idiots we have become ashamed of our dead system of education. The removal of the GCE O’level and A’level exams really created some serious problems in our education system. The CXC examination produced more dunces and failures because it’s a very complicated and difficult exam for the average student. GCE is a more recognised and comprehensive exam for high school students to pass. We should once again replace these so called CXC exams with the GCE exams. (CXC - Caribbean Examinations Council)
I note with interest that very few schools are teaching Literature, History, Geography, French and Latin etc. The study of literature and history is really a foundation to build a student mind to study English. Very few schools have good libraries so that students can read and do research. A formal education is the key to a nation’s success; but we have failed in our education system over the past 30 years. We are still guessing our way through education.
Crime and drug pushing is on the increase because of illiteracy and the get rich quick syndrome. Corruption is the name of the game in Guyana. What’s our GDP? Why this high cost of living. A baby chicken that was selling for $100 last December is now selling for $175.Why this sudden high price for one baby chick that will die in less than a week or will barely grow in seven weeks? We are hearing that chicken price and feed will go down on the news, but we are faced with the opposite.
The purpose of the VAT really helped the businessman to get richer because on every bill they will VAT everything; the time has passed for us to walk with a calculator to check on every item we purchase.
V. S. Naipaul wrote: ‘’Nothing was produced in the Caribbean”, I think he is correct, we have not produced a better economy to keep and sustain our brains and skills in Guyana. More and more people are leaving everyday. More and more the line for passport is getting longer. People are running out of Guyana legally and illegally. Why the mass migration if we have a stable prospering economy? People need better wage increase and living conditions. House lots are given but millions are needed to build a house.
How can the average man afford to build a house worth millions?
Why all of this incompetence and mis-management over 44 years? Why is it we cannot get water 24 hours per day and pay one yearly water bill divided quartly? What’s the purpose of the water meter that’s hidden from residents?
In an age of technology we are faced with more and more economic problems in Guyana and have failed to deal with real issues in our economy to keep our people from leaving this nation. What we need is cheaper light, phone, and water bills. Cheaper housing and increase in the purchasing power of our dollar; more job opportunities for the young and old. Create more and more soft wear technology for our young people that will give every home a cheap computer and cheap internet access. When our bills exceed our salary then we have deteriorated drastically. We have fallen morally, intellectually and spiritually. It’s about time this nation turn to God and repent. It’s about time our politicians turn from their atheistic philosophies and turn to God in prayer to heal this land. It’s about time we turn from sexual immorality and corruption and live a life of high moral values.
T. S. Elliot wrote: ‘’Man without God is like a seed upon the wind’’, it’s time we turn back to God in prayer to heal this land because our political leaders have failed us in 44 years.
So what’s the purpose in celebrating independence? What have we really achieved?
Rev. Gideon Cecil