Dearly Beloved Eyesers, a funny thing happened on da way to 2016 when I looked in the rear view mirror.
“And then we’ll tell them … It’s their fault!” That comment from #Prentice Blames Albertans became the No. 1 hashtag in Canada that day.
The comment came with some tough love and bad politics about the province’s poor fiscal state by then-Alberta Premier Jim Prentice who blamed Albertans for the province’s ongoing slump.
“In terms of who is responsible, we all need only look in the mirror, right. Basically all of us have had the best of everything and have not had to pay for what it costs,” Prentice told CBC radio. Albertans took his comments personally and the rest is history now being written by an NDP government.
My trusted Collins Gage Canadian Paperback Dictionary (New edition) tells me that responsibility may refer to a moral imperative.
In that light, I recall covering former prime minister of Guyana Sam Hinds’ trip from Georgetown to the Guyana-Brazil border during the construction of the bridge liking both countries. I have great respect for the integrity of Hinds as an honourable and responsible gentleman.
“I want to express how deeply hurt we were, I and my many colleague ministers, of the 23 three years of PPP/C in office by those words of the honourable Joseph Harmon (a member of the government),” Hinds said. “You cannot have a situation like the PPP where they (the ministers) were accepting low salaries because they were thieving money all over the place,” Hinds noted in a letter to the media.
(The APNU (PNC/AFC government came into power when the U.S. insisted Guyana receive their “democracy” monies for the election which the PPP/C lost by 8, 000 votes.
Hinds referenced a typical Guyana fish market “busing down” that Harmon dished out to the former ministers.
Now Harmon is blaming it on the official opposition. Like blame it on de Devil. No personal responsibility.
Is Minister Harmon really interested in racial harmony and unity or is he looking to pick a fight with the opposition? Given his military experience under the Burnham regime – AK 47s on loan from the army to the party during the dictatorship with some still missing today – is Guyana going backward to no responsibility, no accountability, just blame it on the other party?
Methinks Harmon needs to not be fixated in the opposition mode and accept personal responsibility and accountability as he is enjoys his 50% increased salary as some of the masses eke out a living on their 5% increased salaries. Shame!
Anyway, Hinds continued, “What is of greater concern, however, is what this whole affair might reveal about the beliefs and attitudes of the honourable minister and our current administration, and the signals it is giving that there are set levels of salaries which sensible bright persons will insist on.
“Only dull thieving will accept less. What else can we think, since they would have known the salary levels before they took office and appear to have assumed office with the clear intention of raising their salaries, even before any work was done.”
He contends that the salaries of cabinet members “as we left them in May 2015 were reasonable and livable for where Guyana is now. What is of great concern is that in the presence of difficulties in gold, rice, bauxite and sugar, salary increases for the cabinet has been the top priority. Like really?”
Guyana is “not yet out of the woods,” Hinds noted. Better off but still a work in progress.
Eyesers, it’s about personal responsibility. It’s President David Granger’s responsibility to bell the cat.
Memo to the Guyana government: Why allyuh must take personal responsibility? Because it’s 2016! Grow up! Go to work and build a democratic, free, responsible and accountable dear land of Guyana and not be fixated in opposition mode, acting like the Devil.