Dear Editor,
The present ruling party and other political parties are getting ready to compete in the upcoming elections and in so doing speak of their interest in youth and of their plans if they are elected. We are well aware that the present ruling party has not for eighteen years fulfilled their promise of a National Youth Policy. The interest in youth is high at this point for all aspiring presidents, yet when young people like myself question the administrators (servants) of this beloved country they either refuse to answer our questions or they choose to answer those they feel comfortable answering.
The opposition parties sat in parliament for the last five years and have not questioned the absence of a youth commissioner on the Ethnic Relations Commission; the absence of or non-functioning Caricom youth ambassadors; the absence of Commonwealth youth ambassadors; the absence of youth representatives on official state visits to other countries; the absence of youth representatives to the UN General Assembly, etc. They have also not questioned why the sports facilities in this country were allowed to decay, such as the swimming pools at Onverwagt, Vergenoegen, Kingston and New Amsterdam; they have not been forceful enough to bring to fruition the National Youth Policy or any mechanism to allow for youth representation in parliament. Yet at this election period every political party seems very interested in youth development because of the large young population which will vote for the first time.
This is a case of hypocrisy. Not only has the Minister of Youth ignored questions posed by me but he chose to ask his Director of Youth to respond to some questions posed by me just months ago about various programmes of the ministry. And just last week the Minister of Finance has ignored questions again posed by me on the financial feasibility of committing US$14 M on a hotel project rather than establishing a National Youth Development Fund to aid in the establishment of youth businesses. Yet the President will be unveiling a plan for small businesses. This I see as a political gimmick, since the President should be committing to the establishment of a mechanism for young people to access low interest or interest free loans so they can establish their own businesses.
During the early period of the President’s tenure, he made many promises to us young people (I was just 16 years old) when we were engaged by him soon after winning the 2001 elections on what was needed in our communities. To date many of the recommendations we made and the promises he made are unfulfilled, and those that were fulfilled are left in many communities standing as white elephants, such as the Hopetown PYCI building in West Coast Berbice, Region 5. I was reliably informed that these buildings would be taken over by the Ministry of Local Government, but this was not the promise that was made in 2001.
Many of our politicians both on the government side of the house and those in opposition leave much to be desired as they stand on pulpits, sit at press conference, write columns about youth being the leaders of today, yet we are not given the chance to lead. I dare say talk is cheap, but young people in this country would like to see action, action that matches the words of our political directorate and pushes our minds to the limit; we would like to see opportunities that allow us to be leaders in our communities, regions and our country.
It is young people who are leading the technological advancement of the world, working as peacekeepers in war torn countries, working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and right here in Guyana accounting for most of the workforce. Just a few months ago we saw the dream and strength of young people come true as they pushed for a democratic Egypt and for their freedom. It is this same dream that Guyanese youth have.
Editor, it is a shame that our leaders feel the need to continue their war of words for power while thousands of young people exit the education system and migrate to other countries and vow never to return. I would like to call on the Minister of Finance to address the questions posed by me in last Saturday’s KN. We ask the President of this country, the youngest in this hemisphere when he took office, to wake up, be proactive and fulfil the obligations that he promised young people when he first took office. We would like to see a return of the young Jagdeo many of us voted for and believed in. The President owes the young people of this country and I hope he fulfils his promises before he demits office.
Yours faithfully,
Sunil Singh
