Latest update January 26th, 2025 8:45 AM
Oct 28, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
On the newscast, yesterday, it was reported that our good President was upset by the opposition trying to take credit for the passage of a piece of legislation that would hold government officials accountable.
Those comments were unnecessary and not in keeping with what one expects of senior political functionaries. Whether or not there is any validity in the opposition trying to take credit for the legislation, no president should find himself in a situation where he has to make comments of that nature.
It is also not helpful to the sort of political climate that we need. Such petty points do not advance the sort of political culture that would aid in building a more cohesive society.
That such an item even made the newscast is even more alarming. Surely there must have been other news items deserving of a major coverage.
The opposition in this country supported the legislation and that by itself should have been welcomed. Instead what we have are exchanges that are totally and absolutely unnecessary and which does do any good for those who are involved or for the country.
It does not make our leadership look well when certain things are said. Obviously the record needs to be put right but so too is the need for leaders to rise above the fray, to overlook the frivolous and avoid the unnecessary.
The people know the truth. They know that it is the government that passed the legislation. But many people also may not yet know how this legislation will affect or benefit them. So instead of spending time commenting about who deserves credit for the legislation, greater attention needs to be paid to how the small man can make use of the legislation.
What does it mean when it is said that the legislation will allow the ordinary citizen to hold public officials accountable? How does this happen and what measures are in place to ensure that the public understands how to make use of the legislation.
These are issues, which need to be considered, and on which greater time needs to be spent.
It was interesting to learn that we now have advanced legislation. This shows that on the legislative front Guyana is making strides and if the government needs plaudits for this, it should have this applause. But there is no need for this to become another mini storm.
What is important is for all our leaders to take the high ground. For them to show that they will not be drawn into issues that would not bring any good to this country.
What we need is for the political leadership in Guyana to demonstrate greater sophistication and class. For example, even if a man has done something wrong and is before the courts, there needs to be some restraint in how comments are made. Everything that is said and done should lead to greater respect for the person making the comments and therefore sometimes some things are better left unsaid.
We have to begin to set the tone for next year’s election. We have to begin to ensure that we do not end up with petty squabbling over issues that are not of any significance. But this also applies for the greater future, beyond elections because we want to create a society in which the people can have differences without those differences getting in the way of establishing better relationships with each other.
In this regard, it is incumbent on the political leadership of Guyana to demonstrate by example the sort of matured political actions that would aid in fostering better relationships.
There is a great deal of bitterness within our society. A great portion of this is due to political frustration and insecurity. To overcome that, people need to feel that they will be taken seriously. Therefore even if someone tries to take credit for something that they do not deserve such credit for, it is sometimes best to let bygones be bygones since making it an issue will not help make things better.
The people of Guyana have more pressing issues than to detain themselves as to who should take credit for a piece of legislation. To think of it, if you did a survey of what people think about the legislation, you would most likely find that they could not be bothered. There are more important things to bother about such as Christmas in two months time.
Jan 26, 2025
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