Dear Editor,

There were several letters in the press recently arguing that the woeful state of the Guyana economy is a direct result of mismanagement by the PPP/C government. Reference was made to a bleak assessment on Guyana's economy by the economists at the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal. Recently, in a letter captioned, `Economic development has been affected by opposition tactics' (SN, 9.16.01) Mr Rohan Sooklall, in seeking to defend the government's performance, placed virtually all the blame for the bleak "downturn in economic performance" on the destabilizing antics of the PNC. While I am not by any means seeking to defend the PNC, for they were indeed engaged in highly questionable post-elections `protest' actions, I wish to argue that ultimately, the PPP/C governing party has to take the blame for the conditions of the country, both the bad and the good, if any.

The paramount duty of the government is to protect its citizens' fundamental rights, namely, life, liberty, ownership and self-defence. While the government may be powerless to protect people against natural disasters and random/unforeseen calamities, it has the ability to plan and take protective measures against foreseeable, predictable events. It was quite predictable, given the PNC's recent history, that Indians would be targeted for violence if the PPP/C won the elections. Mr Sooklall himself described the predictable pattern thus: "The destruction of business establishments after the elections of 1992, 1997 and 2001, the upsurge in kick-down-the door activities, the intimidation of Indians, the unpreparedness of the police to deal with violence..."

During those highly sensitive times, which should have called for a high security alert, the PPP/C demonstrated visionless and lacklustre leadership. Immediately after their victory, they should have had contingency plans and protective measures in place to avert, or severely limit, the pain and suffering, in addition to the economic malaise, caused by the PNC's destabilizing actions. Mr Sooklall, in seeking to defend the PPP, is unwittingly painting the PPP/C as weak and powerless, as being somewhat at the mercy of these destabilizing forces. Is not the President the Commander in Chief? Isn't the governing PPP/C in charge of the police and the security apparatus? They have to stop looking at the PNC as the convenient scapegoat for their mismanagement. For the PNC are not the ones currently holding the reigns of power. Or are they?