Political Transition, Governance Transformation

Nov 21, 2020 Editorial

Kaieteur News – This nation has to move beyond its long ill-starred elections of 2020. It is becoming clearer, however, that the PPP/C government has embarked on a program to ensure that Guyanese-faithful supporters and enraged opposition loyalists-are reminded constantly of what took place, through highlighting in continuing slashes of how much damage was done to country today and the future in front of us.
In this storm-tossed 2020, elections delays and related elections wounds are constantly drummed up and put before the public with intents calculated to stir and bind, either in favor or against.
The delays of Elections 2020 are assuming a life of their own. Delays have become today’s equivalent of “28 years of darkness.”
Those were indeed so in the later decades of the last century, with the major plank in today’s opposition being the main architect responsible for those devastating years. And in this commencement of the third decade of this millennium, ‘destructive elections delays’ seem poised to become today’s mantra.
It is undeniable and inescapable that there were those shoddy delays and that they cost us immensely. That is now beyond debate, past any kind of discussion. But, at some time, and we at this publication say so, there is urgent need for the politicking to stop and the governing to begin. Real progressive governing.
We go further and assert that the political campaigning should be over, and real leading commence. Real leading starts with genuine visions and authentic efforts towards definite objectives for national healing, national reconciling, and national building. We would like to hear and see those endeavors start somewhere and flourish into the fullest flower. Most unfortunately, we are yet to hear or see anything with the degree of constancy and on the scale of intensity that is desirable. That would be most beneficial to the shredded and seething environments that make up the sum of this country.
To be sure, the nation did hear, what we identify as the first watchword in President Ali’s trinity during his acceptance speech in the immediate post-declaration interval. The newly sworn-in leader of Guyana spoke of unity; holding it high, working hard and tirelessly, and making it mean something was how we interpreted that, since the man did do so under oath. It has become commonplace for oaths to be observed like so many New Year’s resolutions. That is, in the breach, condemned to the long list of things to do, nice things that always get obscured and overwhelmed by the more pressing demands of the moment.
There are always those, such as a ruthless pandemic, a sluggish economy, a hurting population, a war over oil management, among the countless many other things that compete for the attention, time, energy, and money of government.
True governance of the caliber that could be lauded is missing, truth be told. There is a continuing swirl of activity, but a close examination reveals that there is more of sound and fury than that of solid substance. On the governance issues that matter, it is less of bona fide governance and more of old-time politics. The customary favors to be paid to insiders, while there are the grating contradictions from positions about meritocracy. The paths cleared for big money financiers, who come to collect their pound of flesh, and who must be coddled. The people singled out, some not unjustifiably, and sent into the wilderness, which is a cycle repeated with uninterrupted regularity after each elections season. This is what fuels the animosities and deep-seated dissents in this society that are never-ending.

The questions and concerns today, and not for the first time, are these: when does leading this country forward take precedence over the usual rank and naked party politics? When is a sincere and sustained effort made to break this society away from the depths that strangle it and lift it up? Last, when does true governing for all mean something? When do we as leaders, as citizens, as a community of contemporaries existing side by side, go beyond talking and deceiving, and into doing and inspiring?
Our challenges loom before us. They are many and they are heavy, whether we will ever be ready is another long story.

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