The power of protests

Jul 13, 2022 Editorial

Kaieteur News – Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa just had to go. He was forced to leave office under an unceasing storm of protests by fed-up citizens of that island country. Once again, it should register with Guyanese that protest done the right way for the right reasons leads to the right results. Corrupt and incompetent leaders, failed and foolish heads of state, and stubborn and stone-headed presidents or prime ministers are pressured to give up power under a cloud of shame. Protest is the power that the people have in their hands to alter the direction of their lives, protest is the strength to improve the substance of their existence, and protest is the energy of the people channeled via appropriate methods to make changes happen.

If Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had his way, he would still be there, and carrying on with his policies and programmes that inflicted so much harm on the people, but whose will he consistently ignored because power came to mean so much to him. It was how he abused it to take care of his family and wide circle of cronies using the dwindling wealth of the State. It could not have been imagined in an advanced political system like that of the United States, but Donald Trump went to extreme lengths to hold on to the reins of power. The former American Chief Executive went so far as to inflict the unbelievable on the American: first, he caused some of them to die, and then he put them in a state of war against one another. This all came about because he refused to obey the will of the people, and was committed to perpetuating his delusions and excesses on his own countrymen and women.

We have a near identical situation developing by leaps and bounds in Guyana with leaders in the current PPPC Government, where they commit one atrocity after another on the Guyanese people. They deceive and mislead Guyanese with carefully constructed lies, engage in endless webs of secrecy under the camouflage of confidentiality, and are party to costly corruptions that further pressure already struggling citizens. And just like Rajapaksa and Trump (and other national leaders cut from that same mold), Government of Guyana leaders surround themselves with men and women who would justify any wrongdoing, rationalize any damage inflicted upon the hopes and aspirations of Guyanese.

Issues raised about leaderships corruptions fall on deaf ears with shameless followers running forward with any kind of ridiculous and embarrassing defenses of their leaders, not so much out of passionate convictions, but to prove their worth. Guyanese live with an ugly and deformed oil contract, which leaders promised to renegotiate. When they now go back on that promise, their faithful followers are so deeply committed to any failure of their own that they drum up any excuse, come up with any manner of positions that lack logic and standing to defend the betrayals of their leaders.

More and more Guyanese are tired of all this, and not falling for any of it, or exhibiting much patience with any of the usual leadership trickiness, as presented by their indebted backers. Citizens are so disgusted and angry that they are coming out into the streets to make their voices heard, and expand the attentions drawn to what is going on in Guyana. When they engage in well-organized, properly managed, protest exercises, there is intensifying of the pressure placed on obstinate leaders in the PPPC Government.

They must be moving for what is better for all citizens of poor Guyana, or they, the leaders, must give up their hold on power, and get out of office. We know that there is little prospect of the likes of the current crop of Guyanese leaders relinquishing the keys to power. Former President David Granger had great difficulty in his time with doing so, but eventually was forced to let go. It is the same story with today’s Government leaders, they refuse to listen to the people, and then compound the problem by insisting that they be allowed to continue as before. Well, they must change for the better, or their fate promises to be like that of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

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