Our undoing has been our failure to implement good governance

Feb 19, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Since the break-up of the national movement in the 50s, the struggle for independence in the 60s was characterized by racial violence. The subsequent post independence period restored some semblance of unity at the national level.
However, racial competition and insecurity among the major groups have served to perpetuate the politics of division, backwardness and authoritarianism by un-elected and elected regimes.
The end results has been Guyana is now one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere and, in spite of our many natural resources, second only to Haiti in this regard. Our undoing has been our failure to implement good governance – the winner take all political system with its known negatives has not delivered on the people’s expectations.
We must now face up to this reality and do what is necessary to save the nation from self inflicted destruction – the people want nothing less than a national solution based on the principle of justice for all race groups and all Guyanese.
To this end African leadership, both cultural and political, have shifted African political thinking to the necessity of shared governance as the required solution to their problems. The thrust in this direction has inspired cynicism in some sections of the society across the racial divide.
The African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) since its birth in 1992, has embraced shared governance as the only just solution to the African historic dilemma and the political crisis in the country. For many years ACDA has been the major organisation in the African community pushing for shared governance, in its ongoing attempts to achieve this goal.
ACDA’s advocacy in this regard recognises, supports and continues the previous efforts by other organisations.
Before his death, former President and late leader of the PNCR, Mr. Desmond Hoyte, changed his party’s position to one of advocacy for shared governance. This new position taken by Hoyte and the PNCR represented a historic shift in African politics.
In an effort to achieve this goal ACDA worked at home and aboard. Our work with the PNCR and Mr. Hoyte bore fruit when he announced to the nation the shift in his party’s direction.
In announcing that “the time for shared governance has come” and calling for a national dialogue with the ruling party and government, Hoyte and the PNCR had in effect signaled a move away from a purely election based solution to our racial/political problems. That call opened up the possibilities for meaningful cooperation, reconciliation and national unity.
After the demise of Mr. Hoyte, his successor, Robert Corbin, restated his party’s commitment to shared governance as the solution to the national crisis. Corbin called for constructive engagement with the rulers and other stake-holders as a means to achieving this goal. More importantly, every PNCR congress since the passing of Hoyte, has endorsed shared governance as the way forward.
The ruling party has over time slowly moved from outright rejection of shared governance to recognising that it is necessary. However, its preferred approach to achieving this is one of evolution based on trust with no stated time frame.
More recently the PPP/C General Secretary, Mr. Ramotar, has said that his party is committed to shared governance and is open to talks. Mr. Corbin’s recently announced imitative to struggle for the implementation of shared governance before the 2011 general elections is timely and must be supported by the African community and all patriotic and peace loving Guyanese.
Guyana can benefit enormously from a political system based in shared governance, but time is not on our side. We must either act now and save the nation or risk fragmentation and destruction. The objective of this letter is to raise alarm bells that while the African and Indian political leadership are unable to urgently address the political division in the country, there are known private forces, which have well developed plans to take advantage of the situation.
These elements are collaborating with foreign forces to reshape the architecture of the nation economically, politically and socially. These strategic developments are not subject to public debate or discussions to determine the possible effects on the nation and its citizens.
Given the state of our economy, one will be hard pressed to argue against private economic activities. However, we have to guard against backward capitalism characterized by oligarchy interest. We must also remember the Jonestown experiment, which was based on the machinations of one man. It was wrapped in secrecy, had developed its own internal security apparatus and had operated as a state within a state. The end result was the lost of hundreds of human lives and disgrace to the nation. The economic benefits to the society arising from Jim Jones’ incursion into Guyana were nil.
Not surprisingly, in true Guyanese style, we have also failed to learn the lessons of the present drug menace in the country which has corrupted the society from top to bottom. The drug barons have become a powerful force, economically and politically. Their dubiously achieved wealth is a major factor in the destruction of the nation. New economic czars, even when well intentioned, whose operations are not properly monitored also have the potential to take Guyana down the slippery slope to destruction.
Finally, my personal fear is when these private sector plans unfold African and Amerindian interests will not be given any serious consideration.
Given the present control of the state by Indians it is likely that community’s interests will be accommodated if it is not already on board. Shared governance now, not later, is vital to the very existence of African and Amerindian communities.
Tacuma Ogunseye

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