Include the Youth for the Electoral Truth

Feb 02, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
In Guyana race and ethnicity have always been the main contributors to party preferences. Voters are motivated by a number of issues, and the attraction to many of these issues depends on the social characteristics and location of the voter.
It is apparent to the most myopic or connected electorate that the political parties are currently preoccupied with mundane issues aimed at defeating the ruling party, such as the coalition formation between the APNU and the AFC. It is the firmly held belief that Granger and Nagamotoo, the so termed true patriots and sons of the soil would together be a force to contend with, standing the best chance of ousting the present government.
While this may all be good in itself, who is ensuring that the young people come out to vote, and that the issues that most affect them will be on the front burner. They do not need to be infused with continuous manipulated political history for them to vote for a particular party.
They will be the ones that will be doing the comparative analysis. Do not take it for granted, but the youths in Guyana are very cognizant of the political climate in which they currently reside. They have lived and survived during the PPP era and all the policies that have been created and implemented during their regime are all known.
Tactical voting is not new to Guyana, and neither the ruling party nor the opposition parties have shown any measures aimed at convincing the young people to secure their votes with regards to economic development.
Plainly put not too much attention is being paid to the voices of the young people and this may prove to be a costly mistake. They may totally disappoint the political pundits dealing a bitter blow by casting their votes in a totally unexpected direction. It should be ensured that the youths are able to get to the place to exercise their democratic right and have their voices echoed into a voting realm.
The reality may be that many do not feel connected to or completely understand how the voting process works. It seems as if young people feel more connected to the number of likes they obtain on a social media post or the data plans of their cell phones, rather than the seeking to understand the complexity of the voting process. To wait may be too late. It is time to circle the wagons and rake in the young wherever they can be found. Otherwise the chance to win may be far too thin. The APNU and the AFC must now be up and about if they really want the PPP out.
Yvonne Sam

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