Civil society must stand up

Jan 17, 2019 Editorial

The time and circumstances have never been more opportune for civil society to show its face, take a stand, raise its voice, and project influence. What is it currently? What it is not? What must it be?
Currently, civil society is too placid, too reserved, too politically correct.
It is also too establishmentarian, and peopled with sometimes well-meaning, but not always forceful thinkers and cleareyed visionaries.
It must be more vociferous and vibrant. The urgency of the times demands unrelenting vigor. Civil society, as loosely constituted, cannot be a parade of peers focused on itself, and lacking in any relation to ordinary society.
The question is: does civil society possess the texture, sinews, and drive to power past where matters have been inextricably stuck forever? There has to be ONE agenda: what is needed for the betterment of this country.
Then all energies and minds should be absorbed and immovably concentrated on getting there in the most constructive manner, but least possible time. It cannot be the ulterior motives of who is going to get a position, and from which group representation will be chosen. That must be secondary to the primary interests, thrusts, and objectives.
Again, what is best for the wellbeing of this nation?A bloodless, sober assessment of civil society, as it stands, is neither invigorating nor comforting. It must rise up to the thorny, wounding challenges that confront and confront them fearlessly.
It is a mystery as to how any of this would be possible when many of the movers and shakers under the civil society umbrella are ideologically, umbilically and psychically attached to the very principals and powers that have wrought so much damage and brought to the desperate straits now occupied.
What it is not? Civil society is not the small company of columnists, letters writers, suspect private sector bodies, and outside authorities. All of these, bar none, have their place and justify their existence, whether agreed with or not.
No one should ever accuse the leading voices-steadfast and dedicated-of lacking issues that trouble, or hesitancy in challenging, or shrinking from the controversial. The intellectual care is there; but the compassion from the gut is missing; and so, is that vitally needed core and cohesion, coherence of message, as well as the cash to carry forward to greater efforts and farther reaches.
Their presence and contributions are needed, if only to hear a different voice with a strange sounding message; and sometimes at a higher pitch. Otherwise, this would be an even more barren, anemic society adrift in sandstorms of tumult and without compass or sense of bearing.
But no! Civil society is not and cannot consist of these lone voices of dissent, and which sometimes generate so much angst, disturbance, and disfavour.
Civil society must be less of a Coach-carrying, Hermes-knotted, Gucci and Manolo Blahnik–encased, Samsonite accompanied and Armani-suited elite looking after its own priorities and programmes and designs.
Civil society must go beyond the ideals of good governance, justice, and fairness, all wonderful things. It must understand, immerse itself, and identify with the plight of the poor struggling Guyanese: the insecurities, the inequities, and the iniquities experienced under the trampling feet of government after government; and those well-heeled, sharp-spurred bureaucratic partners who rush to do the bidding of those same government(s) now denounced.
It should come as no surprise that some of those same sanctimonious, but nefarious, agents are established members in the civil society apparatus.
Through and through, a functioning civil society must be a champion of the common people.

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