With voting over, it’s time now to ‘Act like A Boss’

May 24, 2015 Countryman, Features / Columnists

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COUNTRYMAN – Stories about life, in and out of Guyana, from a Guyanese perspective

By Dennis Nichols
The greatness and natural beauty of this country are not displayed as much in the aesthetic composition of

our capital city as they are in the unpolished splendour of those areas in which man has played a minimal part – our awe-inspiring hinterland.
But Georgetown is the hub of our economic, social, and political enterprise, and the transit point for most wilderness excursions. So quite fittingly, its restoration and beautification are of prime importance to us. But there’s the rub. The ‘us’ is a problem since so many of ‘us’ seem to feel that issues like common lawlessness, vagrancy, littering, and road abuse are societal problems simply beyond solution.
If you don’t agree with this conjecture, then explain why for the past several years so little has been done to eradicate, or at least to mitigate , these irritants which help to make a mockery of any tourism outreach programme?
Incidentally it isn’t only Georgetown which suffers from these maladies, but the entire coast and a few inland areas. The stench is everywhere, but is most concentrated in and around the very heart of Georgetown’s pulse. It reeks of dross and human neglect. That is why I am supremely heartened by the ongoing restorative work in our capital city over the past week.
Georgetown, like many small ‘third world’ cities, suffers from a plethora of social problems that find expression in the attitudes and behaviour of its citizens, including corporate ones. To those mentioned above add the high cost-of-living, (VAT inclusive) water shortages, power outages, transportation woes/traffic congestion and semi-functioning traffic lights, garbage pileups, clogged drains and, during bouts of heavy rainfall, flooded walkways. There are more, but let these suffice.
Any or all of these things affect the attitude and behaviour of a city’s citizenry. Generally those most affected by this social muddle are the ones who are poorer, less educated, and live in the most dilapidated structures. They are generally more prone to anger and violence; less responsive to rehabilitation. And many of them are young, frustrated, and restless. When all of these circumstances are taken into consideration, it is small wonder that they often behave with lawless unconcern for their actions and the repercussions of these actions. Yet, paradoxically, they desperately desire change.
So even as the clean-up and restoration of Georgetown and its environs proceeds apace (astonishingly, in spite of the inclement weather) there is the complement of attitude and behaviour which must also be addressed if we are to take pride in our city. Some may inject the chicken-or-egg argument here, as to which comes first.
Do you attempt to change people’s unfavourable circumstances and the environment first and expect a change in attitude and behaviour later, or does a change in attitude and behaviour lead to a corresponding change in those circumstances? In our case, knowing my people as I do, I would opt for the former before the latter, or at most, that they be attempted simultaneously.
A practical poverty-alleviation programme, an employment drive targeting ‘vulnerable’ youths, improved wages for ‘blue-collar’ workers, improved infrastructural works, a city-wide clean-up, and an intense public health education campaign, should be among the top priorities for the new government in its efforts to transform Georgetown and sections of the coastline. Admittedly this will call for a massive injection of capital and an equally huge commitment by all involved.
Research, and common experience, has shown that transforming the surroundings in which we live may actually trigger positive changes in the circuitry of the human brain; in other words, we start to think differently, as we perceive ourselves to be an integral part of a whole new movement. We are then more inclined to develop habits in keeping with our new thought patterns, and are less inclined to acts of delinquency, vandalism, and other forms of social disruption.
Additionally, our mostly young men and women, will become more conscious of the way they dress, speak and act in public, and adjust accordingly, as they experience a stronger connection to concrete images such as clean parapets and drains, flowing canals, unencumbered pavements, pothole-less streets, functioning traffic lights, and open spaces bereft of vegetation overgrowth. Littering, loitering, using abusive language, acts of road rage, and other forms of antisocial behaviour will be greatly diminished. People will become more courteous and helpful, particularly to the elderly, the differently-abled and the obvious needy amongst us. A virtual chain reaction of good vibes can be anticipated.
This is not wishful thinking. There are precedents in many parts of the world where environmental clean-ups have resulted in positively-changed or modified behaviour of the citizenry, including right here in Georgetown.
One brief example – a year ago the government reserve off Mandela Avenue in East Ruimveldt was an unsightly mess of unkempt vegetation and indiscriminately-dumped garbage encircled by a rough un-pitched road. During the latter part of 2014, work was started by the East Ruimveldt Life Improvement Centre, in collaboration with the Local Government Ministry and other stakeholders, to transform the roughly one-and-a-half acre plot into a relaxation park while resurfacing its perimeter road.
The transformation is not only stunning, but has resulted in changed attitudes and behaviour. Children now play in the now open space, and on Easter Monday flew their kites there. Weeding and trimming of the vegetation is done regularly and there are no more garbage heaps. Trees are being planted by the Centre, and residents in the area have been observed planting their own trees, weeding their parapets and generally doing their part in keeping the area clean and ‘green’. Plans are underway to place benches and hedges, slides and swings in this child-friendly area for the recreation and comfort of residents.
Now take this experience and multiply it a thousand-fold throughout the length and breadth of Guyana. It’s quite possible. There’s a wind of change in the air and people, individuals and entities, are pitching in, volunteering their time and energy towards transforming our land.  True, we will not achieve a utopian society, human nature being what it is, but if the nation builders outnumber the miscreants by a large enough margin, the trend towards social progress and national growth will continue, and increase.
Finally, a word to our youths. The old people say, ‘One, one dutty build dam’. You came out two weeks ago and exercised your right to engage in the process of self-determination. Each of you who did, added his or her voice to the ongoing narrative of nation-building. You see what has been happening over the past seven days. The new administration has promised to restore national monuments to their deserved prominence. National awards are also being restored. The logical culmination is national pride.
I have always believed that it is the young people, around the globe, who can, and will, change the world for the better, despite pronouncements to the contrary. It is no different here in Guyana. You are showing that man-made barriers like race, class and religion are not obstacles, but rather complements to unity and national development. Two weeks ago many of you came out and voted ‘like a boss’. Now it’s time to ‘Act like A Boss’ and hasten the transformation of our beloved nation.

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