We must move forward together

Jun 30, 2019 Eye on Guyana with Lincoln Lewis, Features / Columnists

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In modern civilisation people interact because our lives are intertwined and from this relationship it is expected that we do better as each day passes by. It is by doing better we see progress evolving around us.
History has shown that while Guyana was built on brutal slavery and indentured labour we have evolved from that era to one where we consider each other as equals. As such we will, from time to time, engage each other, regardless of our differences, to make sure that whatever we do is for the common good of man and society.
In our circumstance as a diverse society, no group can or ought to take the position that the decisions of this nation are their sole remit to make and execute. Any who entertains that thought or seeks to execute it will be operating in conflict with our motto “One People One Nation One Destiny,” and the Constitution of Guyana which speaks of inclusion as the nation’s principal objective.
The shortcomings of our political leaders to govern and manage the people’s business by these tenets have caused us to be in a state where we continue to operate in enclaves and be suspicious of the other. In fact, not respecting the existence and participation of others in the process of decision-making.
Our failure as people to realise our dreams as a collective is due to varying reasons. Primary of which is, the populace has been conditioned to believe their responsibility in the entire process of governance is only to give of their vote at elections, and thereafter whosoever is elected is free to do as they please, until the time comes again to cast a ballot.
Elected officials are comfortable having the people in animated suspension while they are functioning in an atmosphere without accountability. It gives them an opportunity to use the authority vested in them by the people to distribute the nation’s patrimony to whom they feel are deserving, be it family, friends, associates or themselves. Those who contemplate to question government’s actions are not only aware the state’s machinery could be used to silence them but also, they could face the risk of being ostracised and condemned.
Successive governments, in recent times, continue to boast of growth in the economy, using the Gross Domestic Product as an indicator, be it positive or negative. Negative is now considered growth. As society, by this measurement, may be experiencing positive growth, there has been the diminishing of civility, rights and freedoms, all of which are fundamental to human growth. For instance, there is no public engagement where citizens can participate in the decision-making processes of the state, knowing their views will be considered, respected and form part of a programme.
When we vote it was and is not an act of giving up the right to think, express and participate in our self-determination. There remains a gulf between the politicians and the populace. There exists a strong view that these politicians are only interested in having political power and putting their hands on the levers of the state, and could not care less about who their acts impact on negatively.
The current political impasse in this country is an example of what we should not have, must not tolerate, because it departs from what we consider will help society to be more inclusive in moving our economy forward, deepening our cultural activities, and preparing ourselves to repel the threats that we have at our borders. The more we allow party politics to divide us as a people the more vulnerable we become. For instance, let us look at our economic circumstance.
For more than a century we have been mining gold, but today every major gold extracting company is owned in the main by foreigners. The same can be presently said for bauxite ownership, another mineral we have been mining for more than a century. Look what BaiShanLin has done to our forest in the Berbice River. These things only happen because some person(s) elected to political office feel(s) he or she or they can give away or authorise persons to use the nation’s patrimony without considering the populace today and that of future generations.
We are talking past each other about the management of oil and gas which will play a pivotal role in our economy. Elected leaders are fighting as to who must have control rather than taking the approach of sitting together and focusing as to how all Guyanese can benefit from the proceeds. As they are fighting for turf control, those who came and are coming to this country, with similar intent as that of Walter Raleigh, are making good of the resources through the lack of cohesion among the leaders and the people.
This impasse is telling us something and we must pay heed. It has not only placed a strain on relationship among the citizens, it is also reinforcing that we cannot do the same thing over and over again and expect to have different results. To foster better interaction and move this country forward, citizens need to impose themselves in the process of day-to-day governance with a view of developing and refining programmes and activities.
For the health of this nation, its people and institutions, the standoff between the President and Leader of the Opposition, the nation’s two premier leaders, cannot be allowed to continue. The privilege to serve has been given to them by the people. Recognition and due respect for this privilege must never be taken for granted. either through actions or that of creating the perception. We have to move forward. We must do it together. We can only do so in an environment where engagement takes place with a view of building consensus.

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