What should be the President's priorities
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY ABOUT
As President Bharrat Jagdeo has approximately 15 months in office in keeping with the Herdmanston Accord signed by the PPP/Civic and the PNC, we asked the man/woman-in-the-street what they felt his three top priorities should be. Their views follow; Wainwright Hicks - technician: `The first thing Mr Jagdeo should do is to take strong measures to remove problems associated with race and racial discrimination in this country. He knows what he has to do to end this. Secondly, he has to establish a stock exchange. When the road from Georgetown to Brazil is opened trade and other activities will take place which will open for us great possibilities to develop ourselves. Thirdly, he must start his elections campaign early to ensure himself a full term to carry out the work he has begun during the remaining period of this term. No where in the world would an old man be accepted by the nation in front of a young man.' Haseena Naipaul - housewife: `President Jagdeo needs to get the electricity situation under control and to do this his government must settle the privatisation deal as early as possible. Next he needs to bring down the cost of living. From food to housing is very expensive. Food items especially should be cheaper. He needs also to create jobs for people by encouraging private and foreign investments. This means that he has to offer incentives to make investments attractive.' Ricky Joseph - miner: `Mr Jagdeo should focus his attention on improving educational standards in the country. He can do this by improving on teachers' salaries so that the experienced ones can remain in the country and mould our children's minds to serve and to develop Guyana. The second thing he has to do is to ensure that every home has access to potable water in the community. Fetching water is time wasting. In addition it will ensure a healthier nation. His third priority should be housing. He might say that this matter is being addressed. However, he should know that the price being called for by government for infrastructure is too high for both low income and middle income people. The land and building materials must be reduced and made cheaper.' Tamara Hilliman - student: `I am living in Sophia and the roads there are very bad, the area is without electricity and water is obtained from standpipes far away from home for many of us. So I would like President Jagdeo to build proper roads there, give us electricity and running water to our home. His second and third priority should be on education. In the first instance he needs to ensure that the Ministry of Education sets up a unit with a full contingent of probation officers who can go into people's homes and make sure that children go to school to get their education. Many children, for instance, in the Sophia area do not go to school. And the next priority would be to pay teachers better salaries so that they can stay in Guyana to teach us than to go to countries like Botswana all the way in Africa. I would like to be a doctor but with no teachers around to give us that good solid foundation, I would ask, do I stand a chance.' Chandra Raghubeer - student: `On of his three main priorities should be to reduce the criminal activities in the country. If this means paying policemen better salaries then he has to do it. As I am living in Sophia, I would like him to give us good roads, potable water in every home and electricity. His third priority should be to bring back good education to this country. He has to pay teachers better salaries so that they could stay here and teach us. Right now the school I am going to needs teachers. We, as young people, cannot develop this country when we leave school with no rounded education and find no jobs. The more honest of us may set up a stand by the roadside or walk around with a tray or basket selling some small goods to catch a hand.' Dillon Fields - tradesman: `I think blackouts and the unsatisfactory electricity supply is one of the main problems affecting production at the manufacturing level. This is keeping the development of the country down. Improving on the electricity supply should be one of his main priorities. His next priority should be the creation of job opportunities for young people in particular. Too many young people are leaving schools and are walking the streets aimlessly with nothing productive to do. His next priority should be to provide the Mayor and City Council with funds to clean up this city - that is to look after the drains and canals, weed areas that have become overgrown with bush, and get rid of all the garbage around the markets and other places in the city. Cleanliness is next to godliness.' Cecil Kanhai - private sector employee: `I think he should stop racial discrimination at every level and insist on the treatment of everyone as equals. He needs to get his cabinet, the political parties to understand that racial discrimination will get us nowhere. Secondly housing should be another priority. Land must be made available at a cheaper rate and there must be a longer repayment period on mortgages. His third priority should be the total improvement of the telecommunication system in Guyana. The fact that areas, such as Enmore, bustling with development and cannot communicate with other places by telephone, is hindering development.' Elisha Adams - teacher: `Mr Jagdeo should focus more on culture and the arts. The arts should be incorporated into the education system so that people can appreciate the beauty and value of the society in which we live. Too many young people, in particular cannot appreciate the beauty and the value of using their talents in the arts to making a living and making people happy by their creativity. The development of sporting and recreational facilities is another priority area. Young people are losing their focus because there are not many things of interest to occupy their time. The third priority should be the introduction of parenting education in the society. Parenting education would result in hopefully better parents and children and a better society.' Yogeeta Narine - University of Guyana student: `I think one of his main focuses should be on reducing crime in the country. He will have to equip the police force better as well as pay policemen better salaries and even offer incentives. His next priority should be improving the educational standards in the country. This will mean increasing teachers' salaries so that the trained and experienced teachers do not have to leave the country. His third priority should be to improve working conditions for public servants. This includes increased salaries for them.' Romel Taylor - self-employed: `Children's welfare should be a priority. The best way to get to the core of children's needs will be to meet with them and young people in general. They will say what their educational and other needs are. His second priority should be housing. To understand why housing is so necessary, he must visit some of the inner city housing and squatter settlements and relate this to the income of the people who live in these areas. In this way he will know that the cost for building is not in keeping with the people's ability to pay. His third priority should be increasing by about 40 per cent or more the salaries of policemen, public servants and teachers so that they do not have to migrate to Botswana.'
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