The time has come for CHANGE!

Oct 02, 2011 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

By Anita Jaikaran

From a recent trip to Guyana, I am just appalled by the many excuses that the Guyanese people, especially and most surprisingly, the youths, are fabricating not to vote in the upcoming elections. Several of these excuses include, “Me nah interested in politics,” and “Man de line does be too long fuh vote,” or the most common ones, “Meh vote nah gun count,” and “De PPP gun find a way to be there anyway, so wah is de point.”
While most of these Guyanese citizens agree that a change of government is needed, they must realize that change will not come if they sit idle at home come elections day, and then complain the following day and everyday for the next five years about how much they are punishing under the PPP. Many of them rely on assistance from their family members outside of the country, but it is about time that they stand up for themselves. Guyana will be stuck in one place and one time if we all do not make the attempt to move forward NOW. The time has come for CHANGE.
It is understandable that the word change can be frightening. When we hear of change, we automatically tend to think of all the negatives that come along with it. What most people overlook is the fact that change can also be positive. For Guyanese, after all that you have endured for the past 47 years, you really do not have much to lose by voting for this positive change called the Alliance for Change.
With all of the bright young minds that the AFC has on board and the innovative proposals that it has to offer, it cannot possibly do a worse job than what the past two governments have led us to. The AFC is not asking that you vote it in and then leave it there for two decades to lavishly enjoy the perks at the taxpayers’ expense and abuse the power it holds. All it is asking for is a chance, an opportunity to serve their people willfully and to return to us what is rightfully ours, a voice in matters that concern the people.
It is undemocratic, not to mention detrimental, to have one government run the country for such a long period of time. We cry out for a democracy, yet what we have is close to a dictatorship. The atrocities that are taking place under this current government are unacceptable and beyond disgusting. With what right do a few policemen have to burn the genitals of a teenage boy they claim was not complying with them and then they are easily let off the hook? Why is it that a mother can lose her newborn because there are not enough incubators in the hospital? Why is it that poor people have to pay 16% VAT? Why is it that youths graduating from university cannot find jobs in a country with rich resources? Why is it that bribes have to be passed to our officials before anything can get done? Why is it that justice cannot be served with humanity?
When we face challenges of such magnitude, given the tremendous disruption it creates for our lives, families, jobs, and so forth, there is a willingness from people to change with a speed you do not get in otherwise normal times. Guyanese, you are being given this opportunity to vote for this change, why not seize it?
I cannot stress enough how important it is that we distance ourselves from racial voting. It is a new time, a new generation, a new era in which our prospective leaders should not be judged by the colour of their skin, but on their vision for a better Guyana. I urge each and every one of you Guyanese with the right to vote, go out and cast your vote! To youths, you make up the majority of the population, so you must realize that it is you who have the power in your hands. It is you who can make the wise choice for their future.
As Maya Angelou once stated, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude, don’t complain.”
I am an American and I am proud to be one because of the rights I hold and the opportunities available to me. However, based on the fact that I lived in Guyana for half of my life, I consider myself a true Guyanese as well, and though I unfortunately do not hold the right to vote, it will be up to my people to make me proud to be a Guyanese this upcoming election. Let us show the world that we Guyanese stand up for what we believe in, that we truly are One People, One Nation, with One Destiny.