Please see release from the Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon regarding the recently announced $2.6B in relief being offered to old age pensioners, persons with disabilities and most vulnerable in society:
I have taken note of a badly presented hodge podge of measures announced by installed President Irfaan Ali this evening.
It is evident that the under siege and beleaguered installed PPP regime is feeling the pressure of public upheaval and resistance to their misrule, oppression and racist policies.
PIECEMEAL, REACTIONARY AND ‘DISTRACTIONARY’
These piecemeal measures were clearly a reaction to public outcry and condemnation. They were evidently designed to distract from the onslaught of negative publicity the PPP received at the weekend when their racist policies were firmly in placed in the spotlight in Guyana, in the Diaspora and internationally.
These measures constitute a desperate attempt by the PPP to change the wave of pressure brought on by the massive anti-PPP racism rally in New York. It is also an acknowledgement of the economic hardships being faced by Guyanese since the PPP was installed into government.
After the statements by installed Prime Minister Mark Phillips and the President himself backfired, Mr. Ali was trotted out to announce these hasty measures.
However, the people will not be fooled or distracted by trinkets, tokenism, public relations gimmickry and false handouts.
FAKE MEASURE
The measure related to electricity bill payments is a fake measure. The monies will not go to citizens but will be transferred directly to GPL. This is a typical PPP diabolical scheme to funnel money to GPL which then presents myriad opportunities for corruption and malfeasance.
STILL NO SALARY INCREASES FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS
What was most offensive is that in all his boasting and bravado, Mr. Ali failed to announce salary increases for public servants, yet again denying hard working members of the public service their customary annual salary increases for two years in a row.
This is an affront and an insult to public servants even as billions have been siphoned off to support the failing and bankrupt sugar industry.
SEVERE ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS UNDER THE PPP REGIME
This denial of salary increases once again is even as public servants, like all Guyanese, continue to face severe economic hardships with the skyrocketing cost of living. The situation has become so desperate that many mothers are unable to feed their families three meals a day.
PPP BEREFT OF ECONOMIC PLAN
Finally Mr. Ali demonstrated, in no uncertain terms, in his choppy address that he, Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP are bereft of any economic plan and are mismanaging the economy in an ad hoc, haphazard and irresponsible manner. The PPP is once again eschewing dependency syndrome and is suppressing the Guyanese people from living a life of dignity and economic independence.
These measures will hardly shift the needle in addressing the economic hardships being faced by hundreds of thousands of Guyanese who will continue to suffer under this heartless PPP regime which is exploiting the poor and vulnerable for political gain.
