Voting is a powerful way of voicing your opinion

Nov 11, 2018 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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The journey towards democratic renewal began in earnest on Tuesday, September 9, 2014, when then Leader of the Opposition Brigadier David Granger, wrote to President Donald Ramotar urging him to hold long overdue local government elections. As we recall, President Ramotar ignored the letter.
On Thursday, September 18, 2014, Brigadier Granger announced that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) would commence weekly picketing exercises outside the Office of the President. Even after the protests commenced, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime refused to budge from its authoritarian stance.
David Granger and APNU continued to demand the holding of local government elections. The PPP continued to refuse to hold local elections and in May 2015 lost the General and Regional election to a coalition led by David Granger. In March 2016, less than one year after Granger entered office, local government elections were conducted after an absence of two decades.
Today, grassroots democracy is back; tomorrow, Monday, November 12, 2018, Guyanese will have a second opportunity in less than three years to vote at local government elections. Citizens will once again have an opportunity to take what rightfully belongs to them. Citizens will have the chance to choose their community leaders, as is mandated by the Constitution.
The newly-elected local democratic organs have changed the method and mode of governance in Guyana. This is part of the Coalition government’s plan to fully implement the strategic vision of community empowerment to which the administration, at the highest level, is steadfastly committed.
In his message to the nation on Republic Day 2016, President David Granger said, “Democracy is about placing power in the hands of the people. The changes brought by becoming a republic were part of a process of democratic renewal. They were intended to place power into the hands of the people by making the small man the real man.”
“They enabled the common folk, through their communities, collectives and cooperatives, to promote their economic self-improvement.”
“We will fulfill our promise to conduct local government elections in order to empower our citizens in their village communities and municipalities after two nightmarish decades of municipal despotism. Local government elections will empower residents and enrich communities.”
“The new councils will be empowered to fulfill their mandate with the independence and autonomy to which they are entitled. They will not be beholden to central government, instead, they will be answerable to the people who elected them. They will be answerable only to the people whose issues will be paramount. Gone are the days of central domination. Instead, the new dispensation has brought with it a culture of collaboration and co-operation between local, regional and central governments.”
The youth vote which was critical in the 2015 general and regional elections will be critical once again. The PPP’s deliberate destruction of our system of local democracy and neglect of our communities during their twenty-three years in office continues to have a severe impact on the quality of life for many Guyanese, especially in the local government areas that are controlled by that political party.
We must therefore be persuasive when we explain to the young voter that one vote may seem to be little more than a whisper, but when that vote is combined with the votes of others who share their views, it can become a shout. It is imperative that we explain to them that elections have consequences.
If you don’t vote, you lose your right to complain. One thing that is really annoying is to hear eligible voters who chose not to vote, complaining about the poor system of local representation by elected representatives in their municipalities or Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.
If you don’t vote, it is like saying you don’t care how your community is being run; you don’t care what happens to you. When you don’t vote you lose the right to complain. So, if you want the right to complain the next time the garbage in not collected in your village or town or you have poor roads, drainage and no green space for leisure and relaxation, then you must exercise your right to vote.
Believe it or not, many of our ancestors fought and died for the right to vote, a right that we should never take for granted. At the end of the day, if you are eligible to vote and you know what you want for yourself and your community, go out and vote. Vote because it is about making a choice, whether it is the right choice or not depends on how much you care. Voting is a powerful way of voicing your opinion.
Finally, local democracy brings with it greater involvement of civic society in the processes of local development. APNU believes that meaningful involvement of non-governmental organisations and other groups is essential for community, regional, and national development.
In the words of the Chairman of APNU and President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, David Granger, “Community and non-governmental and civil society organisations play a critical role in bridging the governance gap. These organisations have a decisive role to play in animating development within communities.”
Clearly, since the reimplementation of Constitutionally-due local government elections, it is no longer business as usual. The stagnation at the community level, which was rampant during the PPP’s 23-year rule is now a thing of the past. Change has come for all Guyanese; power has been given back to the people.
APNU will be contesting these elections as a single entity. We have already begun the job of cleaning up and restoring many communities after years of neglect and decay caused by the PPP; just take a look at what has been achieved in just a few years in Bartica, Lethem, Mabaruma, Mahdia, Linden and Georgetown. You know our symbol – the Palm; vote for local democracy, vote for progress not confusion; vote for the good life. On November 12, Vote APNU!

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