Guyanese need to develop a better sense of self

Jul 29, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
Having reviewed and analyzed countries’ economic performances over a number of years, I have notionally juxtaposed them against Guyana in an attempt to determine what can be done to have this country perform as some of the better performers do. The ideas have been kept short for obvious reasons.
The super performers have:
1. A sound governance/legal system.
2. Systems in place to check corruption and bribery. (Corruption and bribery have been noted as the parasites that drain the lifeblood of an economy, something very much present in Guyana).
3. A solid democracy with freedom of the press as the order of the day.
4. Finally, and more relevant for us, their populations have a sense of self. Citizens generally know their rights and will stand up for them, even against government (this has obviously been developed over time).
My suggestion on this last bit is that we need a stronger definition of self than we already have. As adults, we must recognize that we are the kings and queens of our households and assets. This is in particular reference to our taxes that we ‘pay’.
All of us would have a difficulty with someone coming into our homes and carrying away or destroying our property. Yet over the years, we have consistently allowed government to waste our hard-earned tax dollars, which we have sacrificed a lot of our children’s welfare to pay.
Guyanese should know that the taxes that we pay do not become government property, but in fact, represent assets that we have transferred to government to facilitate them expediting the development of our physical and social infrastructure. Therefore, when they spend money on busted and overpriced projects and give it away to their cronies through other underhanded dealings, they are wasting and stealing our money. It is the same when they write laws (Jagdeo’s benefits) to legalize this wastage.
When they trample our right to consume information they encroach on our households. As a matter of fact, whenever government offends anyone without just cause it acts against the welfare of our households.
And this I submit is our biggest problem, and is something we need to put an end to. Guyanese simply have to develop a stronger sense of self and take a firmer stand against government to protect our rights and keep our money from being stolen/squandered.
Craig Sylvester

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