National priorities

Feb 23, 2014 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

By Dominic Gaskin
AFC Treasurer

There is politics and there are people, and the realities of civilization have imposed the former on the latter in a way that potentially allows societies to develop and advance beyond the challenges of day to day survival.

Dominic Gaskin

Indeed, many countries in various parts of the world have progressed to a point where the expectations of their citizens create baselines of acceptability to which the political leadership is responsive. No one expects to encounter a herd of cattle on the JFK Expressway in New York, or a truckload of sand on the pavements of Tokyo, and it is hardly likely that anyone will.
However, many countries still exist without that minimum level of public expectation that signals to Governments what their citizens are not prepared to tolerate. Guyana is among them.
This is perhaps why, for over a year now, alongside a major public roadway such as Mandela Avenue, a number of unlit container trailers remain parked most days and every night and no one seems remotely concerned. No right-thinking person can deny that these huge heavy-duty vehicles are extremely dangerous to road users.
Senior officials from a number of agencies such as the Guyana Police Force, The Ministry of Works, The Georgetown Mayor and City Council, The Office of the President would all have driven past this hazard over and over again, and so would many other persons with influence and connections. Yet the private interests of the owner of these vehicles continue to prevail over the safety of the wider society and at some point, someone will die a horrible death as a result.
This example is one of many indicators that the failure of the Guyanese political establishment, over the decades, to prioritize the public interest, has institutionally trickled down to the point where this is no longer a concern at any level.
It cannot be denied that the political culture of a nation often sets the tone for how its institutions function. The open hostilities played out at the highest levels of Guyana’s political leadership send mixed signals to those tasked with providing public services, and creates sufficient ambivalence and ambiguity to negatively impact the delivery of these services.
One of the expressed intentions of the Alliance For Change on its formation, was to change the political culture in Guyana. This is still a priority for the party since, as suggested above, it is the national interest that is subjugated whenever politicians can’t find common ground.
What should give us all hope is the fact that there is no shortage of common ground between supporters of the various political parties and even at the highest levels of the parties themselves. Any outsider will spot this in a second. What is lacking is the will to explore this common ground and the desire to underscore the significant areas of most issues on which there is general agreement.
While the endless battles wage on, consuming those involved, it is important that the leadership of the various political parties give some thought to the cumulative effects of their acrimonious encounters on the average citizen of this country.
For starters, children in Guyana cannot expect to attend schools in their communities and receive a government-sponsored education that places them on par with children of similar age around the world. This is so despite the fact that almost everyone agrees on the importance of education for our country’s development. One could even say at this stage that practically any course of action that has the backing of all of our political parties will see better educated children coming out of the national school system.
So why not make this a national priority and place the education sector outside of the realm of political squabbling? Why can a group of mature men and women not set aside their political differences in order to give the next generation of Guyanese a better shot at improving their well-being? And why should the public expect anything less?
The AFC understands that national development must transcend party politics if Guyana wishes to join mainstream societies and participate actively in the global economy. The AFC sees its presence as an opposition party in the National Assembly as an opportunity to meaningfully and responsibly represent the national interest. Never having governed before, the party has no axe to grind or failed policies to defend and is willing to engage all other political parties in seeking consensus on matters of national importance.
Wherever appropriate, the AFC will trade its split vote to add value to proposals reaching the National Assembly. However, in doing so, the AFC will at all times ensure that the public interest is safeguarded. Any examination of our voting record in that body will show a prudent and responsible approach to the nation’s affairs.
The importance of achieving political consensus as a perquisite for the development of our country can never be overstated. A true democracy must have the confidence of all sections of the population, a confidence that is manifested in clear expectations, and an understanding of national priorities. Electoral victory for any one party will only translate into a win for Guyana if that party is able to build consensus on national priorities so that Guyanese are no longer in doubt as to what those are.