Some advice for the Government and Opposition

May 08, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I am making a public appeal to Government and the Opposition to stop stifling peace and crippling progress by being inflexible. They must stop refusing to communicate respectfully and elegantly with each other for the good of our beloved Guyana.
It hurts me deeply to see these two political elephants charge into each other repeatedly with thunderous impact causing terrible damage while trampling the ordinary people and the economic prospects of the nation under their heavy feet.
Why is it that among Guyana’s main political parties there is always a conspiracy to destroy people and what they stand for; always a desire to usurp power by any means, and a stubborn refusal to give opponents credit (or in Guyanese parlance: “gee jack ‘e jacket”)?
My partner, Ronald Mc Garrell, and I have had several peace walks, conferences and presentations on peace and harmony in this country.
I have written many letters to the media, done many programmes on television, including on my own Electric Mosque’s ‘Teachings of Islam’, to elucidate on the poisonous disharmony this situation is causing on the populace of Guyana.
I have used every means at my disposal to warn the leaders and people of this nation that the endless political drama will cause the concomitant destruction of the economy due to local and international investors’ inevitable lack of confidence in our political structure and culture.
This is a serious issue. The Government of Guyana and the Opposition need to take a page out of the book of country folk who grew up in the sugar belt outside the racism and political madness. There, we live like neighbours. Race has never been a dominant factor.
There, people of all races co-exist in harmony and mutual respect. A neighbour will ask another for a cup of sugar and another neighbor will ask for permission to pick some ochroes from a neighbour’s tree. That is how it people live when they are not caught up in ‘winner-takes-all’ politics.
If the Government and Opposition can understand that simple countryside culture, absorb it and put it into practice, Guyana will have a chance to achieve its true potential. But that will only happen if politicians can set aside their personal lusts and petty squabbles.
For some, this means putting aside the lust for power and others the lust for wealth. There are some who will have to give up their greed and the corruption it creates. Many will have to set aside their deceptive techniques to destroy good, decent people.
The suffering masses of Guyana have been too long in the clutches of antagonistic political rivals and as pawns in destructive ‘power-grab’ politics that quickly changes to ‘power-play’ politics when politicians get power. We see this today as we saw in the last government.
Therefore, while I was in meditation in the early mornings, the idea came to me to appeal to the President and the Government of Guyana and the Opposition Leader and his party to read the book ‘How to win Friends and Influence People,’ by Dale Carnegie and accept and apply its wisdom.
Government seems able to influence its supporters; the Opposition seems to be able to influence its supporters, but they cannot seem to win friends and influence people across the racial divide; across the political divide.
Guyana is a country which truly needs peace and development. It is only by peace and cooperation between the opposing power blocks that the people can be inspired.
In recent walks and travels, I gather that there is a new breed of race-haters between the major groups of Guyana. It is not large-scale, but the dangerous small minorities exist on both sides. One side thinks the PPP-C is god and total perfection while the other side behaves as if Government is another god with absolute perfection.
But I share the belief, also expressed by so many wise letter writers and columnists in the media, that cooperation between these two giants of politics is the only thing that can save our economy, our people and country.
In particular, it is the only way forward that will show any vicious, evil neighbor looking to exploit our disunity that our country’s politicians are strong and wise.
Here are some excerpts from Mr. Carnegie’s book that I think would be most pertinent and useful to the political leaders and followers of these giant political parties. I hope these words of wisdom would inspire them to reach to each other and start to work to save Guyana. God knows our nation need this:
• “If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes; but it will be an empty victory because you will never get your opponent’s good will.”
• “Listen first. Give your opponents a chance to talk. Let them finish. Do not resist, defend or debate. This only raises barriers. Try to build bridges of understanding.”
Hajji Roshan Khan Snr.
Universal Peace Federation

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