The distinction between the people and the regime

Feb 12, 2021 Letters

---

DEAR EDITOR,

Kaieteur News – Our perception of other countries is sometimes blurred by not recognising the difference between the regime and the people.
Myanmar or Burma and Venezuela are two cases in point.
Take Myanmar, even though Aung San Suu Kyi disappointed the international community by failing to stop the massacre and mass expulsion of the Rohingya people, that dastardly act cannot nullify the fact that her party, the National League for Democracy was democratically elected by the Burmese people with more than 80 percent of the votes cast in favour of her party at the November 2020 election.
Moreover, the fact that the military refused, by way of a coup, to accept the people’s verdict, torpedoed the democratic process, and seized power, is a travesty that must be condemned.
Under these conditions, it is important to make the distinction between the legitimate aspirations of the Burmese people and the illegitimate seizure of power by the military.
The Burmese people want a government of their choice. They want to be free from fear and freedom to enjoy all the civil, political and cultural rights enshrined in the UN Charter.
On the other hand, the military want to deny the Burmese people those basic rights and freedoms. To do so, they have forcibly ensconced themselves in power against the will of the people.
Therefore, when we look at Burma, we should view it as a country where its people are engaged in a bitter struggle that we Guyanese know only too well.
In respect to Venezuela, on balance, the focus is more on the Maduro regime.
Had it not been for the influx of hundreds of Venezuelans into our national territory, we Guyanese would not have focused on the suffering and deprivation of the Venezuelan people and the excruciating conditions internally that forced them to leave their homeland to head for Guyana.
Here again, the challenge is to make the distinction between the maladministration of the Maduro regime and the hopes and aspirations of the Venezuelan people.
Opposition to the Maduro regime cannot mean opposition to the people of Venezuela who are deprived of basic needs and who are suffering the most. International isolation through sanctions on the Maduro regime will, by extension, mean more deprivations for the Venezuelan people.
While people and power, are inextricably linked, under certain conditions, the distinction becomes self-evident and as a source of struggle for power.
I refer to Venezuela not because the challenge to make a distinction between peoples and governments is peculiar to Venezuela, nor because it is our neighbour, or because of the matter at the ICJ, nor the arrest and detention of Guyanese fishermen by Venezuelan authorities.
The distinction is made because given the current preoccupations of the Venezuelan people, it is unlikely that they would rally at this time behind Maduro’s seizure of Guyanese fishing vessels. Nor are they in the mood to give blind support to the belligerent noises emanating from the ‘Casa Amarilla.’
Therein lies the distinction between the people and the regime in Venezuela.
In Guyana today, we Guyanese were fortunate that the distinction was made between the regime and the people at a time when international support and solidarity was needed in the struggle for the restoration of democracy.
That aside, making the distinction between “good news” and “good news” may for some, be unnecessary and superfluous, and the question may very well be asked why make the distinction? Both are good.
The answer lies in the distinctively qualitative, as it relates to “the good” done by governments versus the good by venture capital.
Over the past months, almost on a daily basis mainstream media have emblazoned on their front pages, announcements about brand name hotels, malls, amusement parks, etc; expressing their interest in establishing a presence in Guyana. That is good news indeed.
But here is the distinction. In an address delivered by Ashni Singh, Minister with responsibility for Finance at the Annual awards Ceremony and Gala of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singh assured his audience, “Given that this country’s human resources are of the utmost importance, government will be investing heavily in education and skill sets development,”
That is very good news!
About a week later, MACORP announced its intention to create a ‘MACORP university that will cater for all levels of technical education.’ It will cater for any type of engineer and will integrate ‘knowledge with practical application…’
This is also good news.
These two disclosures demonstrate distinctive interests. However, government’s pursuits when realised, will help rebalance an apparent imbalance between venture capital interests and public sector interests as per human resource development.
Both Ashni Singh’s and MACORP’s disclosures, are indispensable and strategic necessities for the growth and development of Guyana’s human capital. It is also critical if our human capital is not only prioritised but also importantly, synchronised with the country’s developmental trajectory.
Whether the goal to place emphasis on the country’s growth and development of its human resources is done through public sector investment, public- private sector partnerships, exclusive private sector investments or on the basis of bilateral agreements with friendly countries, it does not matter. The fundamental objective must be to have tangible results from such investments.
In this regard, government should consider mobilising resources for the establishment of an Institute of Research and Development; a School of Business Management; an Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research; an Institute of Farming Systems; an Institute of Agricultural Sciences; an Institute of Science and Technology, an Institute of Civil and Structural Engineering; an Institute of Mining, Technology and Engineering; a School of Environment and Sustainability; a National Fisheries Research Institute; a Center for Aquaculture and Seafood Development; an Institute of Forestry; and a School of Forest Science and Management.
Apart from government itself investing heavily in the further development of the country’s human resources, it must find a way to bring others on board to contribute just as heavily as they are in hotels, parks and malls.

Yours faithfully,
Clement J, Rohee

---

---