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Failure Is Not An Option
Dear Editor,
I had previously dealt with capitalism and socialism as systems upon which managing countries’ economic activities are based, and had pointed out that socialism, upon which the policies of the PPP and PNC-led coalition are based, sees private ownership and enterprise as a threat to its existence.
It is oppressive, inefficient in utilizing an economy’s resources, breeds corruption throughout the economy, and leads to sub-optimal outcomes in national welfare, often resulting in poverty.
The only true beneficiaries of socialism are in fact the ruling elite, their friends and families, and rogue elements. These combined, the outcomes with which Guyanese are for the most part quite familiar, make socialism wholly unsuitable for responding to Guyana’s immediate needs. It therefore becomes very difficult to explain support for political parties and governments which embrace socialism and its oppressive, anti-social elements as their basis for administering Guyana’s economic affairs.
Economies are generally subdivided into three main groups: 1. Households, which comprise workers; 2. Firms and 3. Government. Workers constitute a significantly larger number of persons than those who own and represent firms.
As such, political parties generally shape their policies to capture the votes of this group, while ensuring that their proposals also cater to the needs of firms. In democratic societies without racial tensions, decisions are generally made based on the offerings and success or failure of the policies of the contesting political parties.
In Guyana, where racial tensions generally dominate decision-making, Guyanese have in the past been forced to choose among political parties whose socialist-based policies ultimately result in increased hardships for workers, and secondly have been encouraged to vote on racial lines, a practice I refer to as tribal politics.
Worse than this is that our political parties also engage in tribal economics, or the embrace of policies which favor a particular ethnic group. Naturally, Guyanese whose ethnic political party is not in power generally face marginalization, which results in more acute depression in welfare compared with the general population. Both Indian and African Guyanese generally, and specific communities, can attest to this experience.
This has been the unfortunate dilemma of our country after fifty-two years of independence, which has seen Guyanese suffer under the socialist policies of our major political parties and the embrace of race politics. This is what obtains even now, and seems destined to become our future.
I submit that this cannot go on. It is impossible for Guyanese to achieve any significant increase in their welfare and incomes under the politics and policies of these political parties. Guyana has had the benefit of the experience of both developing and developed economies from which to draw in crafting a sound framework to guide our politics and economic policies, upon which we can finally start to move Guyana forward.
This has been crafted by myself, with the benefit of public criticisms, and which I intend to unveil at the upcoming launch of our political party. Interested persons may view them on social media.
Guyanese are encouraged to study our proposals, and make suggestions and recommendations on how they can be improved. As a new political party, we are also looking for Guyanese to take up the challenge of offering a better system of government than what currently obtains under the PPP and PNC-led coalition.
What we cannot, must not allow, is to have the politics and policies which have failed us in the past, dominate our future. Because failure is not an option.
Yours Faithfully,
Craig Sylvester
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