Is this the kind of change our country needs?

Jul 21, 2015 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
Can the APNU/AFC coalition lift us out of poverty?  Without hesitation, the answer is a resounding no. How can this government help us when it drowns itself in political corruption – favoritism, cronyism and nepotism? Glaringly, its cabinet is the product of this scourge which doomed it from the very start.  It has the nerve to shove a large, ineffective cabinet down our throats, and the system is such that we have to swallow it.  Is this democracy?
The country does not belong to the APNU/AFC coalition. Democratic governments traditionally fill their cabinets with distinguished people capable of building nations, rather than strangling them – this is something Guyana is still waiting for.  So do not hold your breath for a 100-day rollout.
Ironically, this fresh government branded the PPP/C as corrupt, when in fact it too is like a vampire sucking blood from the population.  It dons a mantle projecting that it is against this scourge when in fact it is a veil of propaganda shielding its hypocrisy.  Highlighting this is the fact that government caters to its inner circle in a blatant political manner, relegating the welfare of the nation to the backburner. Unsurprisingly, this guarantees our stay in poverty.
Furthermore, it extends an atmosphere of unfairness, widens rifts, creates rancor and erodes public confidence.  Is this the kind of change our country needs?
Further assessments of this cabinet reveal a glaring picture of the uniformity of its members which was born out of political corruption.   This handicaps government and hamstrings development.  A major impediment of such a group is the inherent problem of groupthink.
It is a well known fact that such a group is riddled with problems, because its aim is to solely not rock the boat.  It is likely to maintain the status quo rather than shake it up.  Often such groups slam the door on innovation in order to protect the ego of its leaders. History has educated us on the dangers of conformist thinking, which includes the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Jim Jones disaster and the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Yet we engage in this.  Given consideration of this, can we expect anything from this government?
Our government should know better. It should know that countries including Haiti, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and our very own, fail because of political corruption. On the campaign trails, government has staged a revival of our country, making vacuous promises, including that its heart is in stamping out corruption. It hypocritically preaches about how poverty and corruption go hand in hand while doing nothing about its own corruption.
A lack of accountability, disrespect and hoodwinking are unfortunately norms in our society.   Government is not above the law.  In many parts of the world governments are forced to clarify issues on corruption. For example, the South African president, Mr. Jacob Zuma has come under fire and was called upon to clarify his appointment of his daughter to a senior cabinet post.
In weak democracies like ours, however, citizens are afraid to stand up against corruption, fearing retaliation. We all know our country is in a pitiful condition, but yet our government continues to mistreat it.  In no way should it whip and ride our nation to fuel its self-interest. It is wrong for any of our governments, be it the PPP/C, APNU (PNC) or the APNU/AFC coalition, to use our country’s funds to hire favourites, including friends and family.
Political corruption has taken a toll on our country including: stifling development, breeding inefficiencies, causing the number of suicides to skyrocket, increasing alcoholism, diving educational standards, frustrating potential, tearing lives apart, yanking opportunities away, creating joblessness and ushering in early deaths. These are the moral tragedies of our country.
Corruption streamlines our lives on one of three trajectories: to either commit suicide, to migrate or to live a blighted life in the country.  Undoubtedly, we have been downtrodden by all this.  We are asking for mercy from government.  We need to return home to Guyana, especially from countries in which we are unwelcome. We need jobs here for our survival.  We need leaders like Mr. Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore who are doers and not talkers.
The current flawed system, which allows government the liberty to unilaterally hire whomever it wants without the approval of an independent body, needs to be immediately changed. It is one of the prime reasons for our country’s failure.
Guyana is too bloated with corruption for a system like this.  It brings to mind the popular adage that you cannot leave a fox to watch chickens. Government needs an independent watchdog monitoring its actions, including when it makes critical appointments. The current system has clearly reduced us to naught.
For the betterment of our country, I urge all Guyanese, to speak with one voice against any kind of corruption, irrespective of political ties.
Annie Baliram

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