Guyanese take responsibility, use your power or suffer

Nov 05, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

What should one do, when they see people, they know struggling to survive, knowing these people can change their suffering to betterment if they take responsibility and make the changes that would facilitate this as they have the power to improve their lives? Does one continue to support these suffering people or let them know they are the cause of their own problems and leave them be?

Currently in Guyana people continue to vote for and support Politicians who do nothing for them, as a result the poor is in dire straits for the basics of life and those well-off are being robbed by strangers, by people who work for them, or by even by people they trust.  There are diaspora members, who want to come to Guyana, but don’t, fearing their own families will  plan robberies against them. This kind of behavior is the hallmark of a destabilizing society and spell the beginning of the end of that society.

However, Guyanese have the power to change this dire scenario if they take to the streets and demand their rightful share of their country’s wealth and accountability from the government while noting the window of opportunity for this will not be there forever and is quickly closing.  Guyanese it’s time you take your responsibility and forge your own future as your leaders and the exploiting foreigners would not be doing this for you, Guyanese you eventually will take to the streets when you can’t take it anymore like Haiti, Sri Lanka and other destabilizing countries, but by then it will be too little too late.

Guyanese do partisan politics, then run to ABC countries for betterment, not knowing these countries had genocide and bitter civil wars, which shaped their societies.  Guyanese overseas continue to live in 1964 as per their social media comments, one would think these people living in developed countries and had advanced education would know better.

Growing up in a poor half Afro-PNC and half Indo-PPP village, I witnessed at election times the workers of these parties would come and mobilize their voters, dragging the elderly, the disabled and the half-dead to the polling station to get their votes, the very next day the village people will be asking people for a raise to buy food, neighbors asking each other for salt, sugar, rice, flour etc so they can make a meal, when asking these people why don’t they don’t vote for another party or hold their party accountable for their struggles, they tell you that’s none of your business.  It seems most Guyanese voting for and supporting their political parties are more sanctimonious than their religion, even more important than the following, (1) The current robbery of Guyana’s wealth by foreigners, (2) the food shortage or expensive food from the country once known as a breadbasket, (3) the pending and future health crisis, (4) the global recession coming which will affect Guyana, those who receive overseas remittances take note, (5) the breakdown of peace and security, (6) the widespread corruption decimating the poor, (7) the ineffective services from health, education and other institutions that Guyanese depend on, and (8) the foreigners in the country unaccounted for who will partake in criminal activities. etc.

This irresponsible behavior from Guyanese not to use their power to take to the streets and demand their fair share of their wealth and hold their politicians accountable, has fostered a bold and barefaced arrogance by the foreigners who exploit Guyana to declare how much they make and will be making in the future, the arrogance of the politicians to berate people who question them on Guyana’s affairs. We finally are hearing from some parliamentarians, but it’s not about our oil, gold, and other wealth, it’s about the credibility and validity of the voters list, as if this list is going to put food on people’s table and alleviate some of the pains and suffering of Guyanese.  Such is their arrogance, only Guyanese votes to keep them in parliament matters, that’s all we are to them.

Oddly Guyanese, with all their complaints and sufferings on crime, healthcare, food, jobs, inflation, flaring, sending their children to school with empty lunch kits and all else, the next election will still see the current parties controlling almost the same number of seats in parliament.  Will the same ways continue? or will we see a miracle where Guyanese will use their power and take to the streets demanding their fair share of their wealth while holding their Politicians accountable, after all Christmas is coming and it’s the time for miracles.

R. David

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