There is now a move to shut down decency in Guyana

May 01, 2018 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
After consecutive Governments would have been exposed and confronted for their shortcomings, by the people, via a platform that is not under their utmost control, and one that has a wide viewership and mechanisms that allow for discussion, education and even persuasions, there is now a move to shut down decency in Guyana.
The time has finally come when the people will no longer be allowed to voice their dissatisfaction, and that is clear in this Government’s adjustments, and tabling of legislation that the previous administration would have created.
The laws tabled by this Government come with a twist, and one that makes everything that led up to this time, become clear.
It started with the colour Green, and then the naming and renaming of things after individuals, instead of using inclusive methods. The methods deployed here were not at all a surprise to me, as a free thinker, I just looked at the comparisons with North and South Korea and knew which direction a PNC-led administration was heading. What I did not expect is the support they received and from whence that support came – yes, it was supposedly by the PPP.
These draconian and dictatorial laws that are being forced on the people are in my opinion as a result of a collaborative effort of two Governments – yes, I say two Governments. You expect me to believe, after crying at everything and anything that is done by this Government under the sun, that the PPP just allowed this Government to bring laws like this without noticing it.
If it weren’t for one of the PPP MPs mistakenly exposing this on social media, the people would not have known of the deceit that was afoot, and yes it was a mistake on the MPs part, obviously that individual was not in the loop.
The blunder is a classic case of what Governments fear – that there is no control of information even from within. Every individual is essentially now a media entity, and this allows for the administrators’ blunders and mistakes to be seen by the masses at a moment’s notice – in some cases, creating irreparable damage, which Government’s with ignoble intentions would prefer not to have.
There are issues that have made many supporters of the present Government question the ability of Ministers to effectively hold and perform in office, and causing many to question their allegiances to party.
The AFC has lost most of its credibility as a result of persons being afforded a first-hand opportunity to see their true colours and where they continuously fail the people. The AFC, more than anyone, would love to add these laws to the mechanism being put in place to counter dissent. The party has more to lose, due to the constant loss of trust that comes as a result of exposure on social media.

Governments that wish not to be accountable have a great fear of social media. It is a platform that changed the way information is shared and allows for the wrongs to be duly exposed. Dictators would prefer for things to be left the way they are, because with change, persons who previously were infused with propaganda and carried grudges all their lives, could now be re-educated and showed how they were shamelessly deceived.
You would wonder why the word Governments comes up so many times in this letter; well, I am speaking here about both the current and previous governments. The PPP still sees itself as a Government out of Power rather than an Opposition representing a people. There is no other reason for them to be part of this for more than two years now, and not bring this most blatantly and dictatorial act of this Government to the People’s attention.
For the record, the PPP has four of its MPs sitting on the Special Select Committee.
It can only be concluded that the PPP would love to have access to similar laws if it regains power; hence, the hope that it passes unnoticed.
Unfortunately this backfired with the aforementioned blunder on Facebook and they had to kick into high gear to repair and pretend to be representatives of the people… but the damage was done. The people saw them for what they were — a similar type of group waiting to shuffle themselves to the other side of the house.
What I can leave with you, the Governments of Guyana, is that anytime those laws are enacted, it will be the beginning of the end of conventional party politics in Guyana. The young open minds will be more receptive to a third force than ever. This tyrannical act, can only serve to solidify the thoughts of the masses who feel the time has come for unhindered freedom of expression and thought, and a meaningful existence.
Guyanese Critic
Social Activist

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