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LOOKING FORWARD TO 2017

Dec 24, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists

In just over a week, Guyanese and the rest of the world will usher in the New Year and many are hoping that 2017 will be better than 2016. It should be not surprising to anyone how quickly the calendar year grows shorter the older one becomes. The saying that time flies is true.
Looking back, it seems as though the year 2016 had just began but unfortunately for many, the passing of the last 12 months came so quickly that some are wondering what has happened.
In Ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus, named after the month of January, is depicted as the God of two faces, one that looks back to the past and the other that looks forward to the future. Janus has presided over the beginning and the ending of conflicts, and hence war and peace, which in effect symbolizes change and transition over time. It also expresses the need for people to be conscious of those events in society that have altered reality or have transformed their lives.
While there is little point in dwelling on the past twelve months, it should be instructive as a reference point for shaping the lives of many in the future or of taking stock and planning a new direction. As a nation, the citizens of Guyana should look back, but at the same time look to the future in order to grasp and understand the best and the worst times of 2016; the glory and the grief the nation has experienced; the terrible loss it has endured; the incredible gains it has achieved; the breathtaking change in governance and the extraordinary achievements of science and technology.
The government should be commended for the cleaning-up of Georgetown, restoring Merriman Mall, establishing three new municipalities (Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem) and for calling Local Government Elections, which was last held more than two decades ago. But it was plagued with several scandals, beginning with the controversial trip to China, the drug bond scheme, the D’Urban Park fiasco, and now the granting of scholarships to two Ministers.
Looking back, 2016 was a year of personal loss for many, especially those who have lost loved ones to gun violence and traffic accidents, thus leaving the country impoverished.And it was a tough year for many to transition from the general negative feelings to the state of being positive and from despair to confidence.
The year 2016 saw the continued abuse of women and children, shortcomings in the judicial system and intensified criminality and gang entrenchment in several communities. There is not a community in the country that is out of bounds to criminals. In Georgetown and other areas of the country, crime is so rampant that residents, mostly the elderly are being reduced to almost sub-human existence as their only safety is the iron bars on their doors and windows. Despite the hunting down of the bandits, the citizenry remain unconvinced that the authorities have a handle on the situation.
Over the years Guyana lost some of its best and great intellectual minds due to migration to greener pastures in the Caribbean and North America. Original thinkers, of fearlessness and undying hope, who love Guyana and did much to propel it forward, have left a huge void in both the public service and the public sphere of ideas and debates. Today, Guyana faces an uncertain future. Its politics is combative and its economy has declined, prices for its commodities have fallen, the national debt has risen, and the crime and unemployment rate has surged. However, by looking forward, the possibility exists for a bright future in 2017.

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