Dear Editor,
Civil society occupies a critical space/function/responsibility within the relationship between the state and the people. This body of diverse representatives and interests share the common goal of advocating on behalf of and advancing the well-being of our nation through political processes, working to influence political decisions and as conduits and deliverers of various types of goods and support. Internationally, all bilateral (BLI) and multi-lateral institutions (MLI), sovereign regions, nations and states who have endorsed the Paris Declaration of Aid Effectiveness (PDAE) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have agreed to and recognized the non-negligibility of a comprehensive, sustained, structured and multi-dimensional civil society vis-à-vis achieving local, regional and international development targets, reducing poverty, mal-governance, etc.
At an international Roundtable gathering in Hanoi, Vietnam (2004) it was declared that “civil society must not merely be a mobilizer of local groups and individuals, nor even a “watchdog” on outcomes, but that it must also play an integral part in decision making at all levels. Civil society must go beyond acting as a catalyst of change at the local level to include pressing for change in power structures to enable marginalized groups to play greater roles in influencing decisions that affect their lives.” Such a function calls for enriched capacities within civil society, collaboration within the sector and between government, sector organization, push to produce enabling conditions, the ability to negotiate and demand national consultation and participation in processes of national concern and the fundamental recognition that the sector must organize themselves not against any one entity nor the unwholesome practices of such an entity but in exercise of their universal mandate to strengthen the development and delivery of democracy, good governance, social and economic policies and programmes, etc. at the sectoral and operational levels in Guyana.
During the turbulent 60s, slightly optimistic 70s and rock bottom 80s civil society played a critical role in mitigating the effects of ethnic and economic violence, jaundiced policies and the multitude of atrocities visited on the beautiful people of Guyana under the notion of engineering a self-sufficient nation. In those days, the sector displayed dynamism and vigour with limited resources, much of which are abundantly available today. I hold firm that the sector’s role has been diminished for 3 primary reasons: (i) lack of organization, (ii) deep-rooted political persuasion and (iii) unnecessary competitiveness within the sector fuelled by local and foreign financiers.
From the late 80s on to now, we have witnessed atrocities once unthought of (both in quantity and severity) and the sector has not measured up nor performed the tasks incumbent upon them as bearers of the interest of the most vulnerable, disempowered, disenfranchised, dispossessed and the general citizenry as a whole. Whilst active and in many cases rightfully so in financially appealing sectors, civil society as a unit seems to have lost focus of its true responsibilities, thus we have observed without much teeth, the withering of the social contract. During this period, poverty has been redistributed more than it has been alleviated, ethnic tension and economic violence deceitfully legitimized by the adoption of half-baked policies and programmes and our political culture graduated to a higher level of callousness, divisiveness, deviousness, immaturity and indecency. Make no mistake, Guyana has made tremendous strides in a number of areas, most notably infrastructure, market liberalization and balance of payments but the impacts of these gains are undermined and largely unfelt in the lives of average Joes and Janes because we have not managed to effectively cushion the rising cost of living neither have we transformed our archaic system of governance to mandate meaningful inclusivity at all levels. These are all macro level objectives towards which civil society must put their shoulders to the wheel. In the absence of such consistency we have present day Guyana being governed by a “runaway” political party/government and an opposition clearly out in the wilderness and too pre-occupied with power sharing rather than empowerment of the vulnerable toward achieving the collective good. Please don’t begin to think that power sharing is a tool of empowerment, if history has taught us anything it is that with power sharing we’ll have two hands in the cookie jar, pinching and pilfering rather than one.
The “politics of yesterday” has been recycled and civil society owes it to its individual constituents, beneficiaries and all of Guyana to take up their roles and responsibilities with vigour to address the perverse derivatives of present day systemic inefficiencies and vile practices of harmful governance and myopic politics while simultaneously working for renewal or re-birth of the thrust/spirit of our national motto: “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”, the same motto and spirit that energized us to Independence and the same that must be the guiding light by which civil society exercises leadership, resilience and non-partisan eye-teeth in the face of growing polemics in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
R. Small
