For a decade, from about the mid-1970’s to mid-1980’s, this nation saw such severe economic deprivation that a generation may have been lost under the weight of poverty and social degradation.
When the nation won free and fair elections in 1992, after seven years of Hoyte’s economic reforms that had solved the crushing public transportation problem and eased the food shortages, an air of optimism ushered in a “new dawn”.
People finally started to feel that the immediate future would deliver the great potential of our homeland. Dr Cheddi Jagan became a celebrity President, and with the Civic, Linden-connected politician, Sam Hinds, as Prime Minister most people hoped ethnic insecurities had ended.
The promise we harboured in 1966 when we won political Independence, by 1975, had faded into a nightmare of rigged elections, failed macro-projects and a dejected, migrating people.
In 1992, it seemed we would enter the 21st century with this stain of a bad past firmly behind us.
Yet today, again, the new dawn has faded. We enter the 2011 elections with the same old ethnic insecurities rearing ugly distortions of who we are as a people.
When President Bharrat Jagdeo acceded to the Presidency 12 years ago, the nation welcomed him as a young leader of potential and promise. Even the Diaspora thought a new generation of leadership had emerged, and Guyana was starting to shape up for the better.
Jagdeo’s accession followed a strange and bewildering acrimony over Janet Jagan being our President. She had served our nation so well for so long, and when she became President the outcry was an awful spectacle. She was not allowed to rule in peace.
But with Jagdeo, we had put that behind us.
Now, in 2011, all that has changed. We face a nightmarish socio-political situation once again, history repeating itself in an agonizing flirtation with our dreams.
This writer’s encounter with Bharrat Jagdeo was in early 1993. I had approached the Ministry of Finance for a duty-free concession to import a newspaper printing press to launch the Kaieteur newspaper.
Then Finance Minister, Asgar Ally, said he did not handle such things, and I should ask his Junior Finance Minister, Mr Jagdeo.
Jagdeo flatly refused any concession. I felt peeved at the time, because as a young man in my early 20’s, I was choosing to invest in a new Guyana. I was not even thinking of migrating.
Eventually, duty and import taxes had to be paid on the printing press.
After launching the Kaieteur Weekend World, one of the first stories I did was to approach Ministers of the new Dr Cheddi Jagan government, with one question: how long would it take to transform and turn around the country after those 28 years of economic mismanagement and socio-political degradation?
Every Minister of the Government said “within 10 – 12 years” a significant transformation would take place.
Only Prime Minister Sam Hinds estimated it would take 15 – 20 years to turn this country around.
That time is now, 2011. It’s a long time for the “new dawn” to deliver tangible results, but this country has already turned around on the macro-economic level.
If we could generate leaders who could take the nation to a developmental place where we eradicate gross poverty, clean up our public spaces, and guarantee good governance, then we would be on our way to play our rightful role in the 21st century global village.
No member of this government or ruling party could defend the state of our capital city, or the fact that the sidewalk of the national assembly houses naked, unsightly, smelly vagrants.
None of them could deny that the Government is mismanaging the resources of the State media.
None could excuse the continuing financial irregularities that show up year after year in the Auditor General’s report.
The President will be challenged to defend his accumulation of wealth that sees him owning a mansion. Many of the Ministers cannot excuse their vast wealth accumulation after serving in the Government of a still-poor country.
Nepotism and unethical business practice make up the norm in the public and private sectors. No one can deny that. No one can excuse the alarming levels of organized bribery and corruption that goes on in the Public Service, Police Force and, reportedly, at every level of government.
We have seen documents through Wikileaks that should alarm us, of State corruption, government officials colluding with international criminals, and some popular private businesspersons involved in shady criminal activities.
This is where we are as a society in 2011, a country where the public space is riddled with carefree ethical practices, judicial irregularities and unprofessional conduct.
Petty criminals continue to roam the streets of the capital city, with some areas so prone to social decay that walking the streets is a frightening exercise in courage and bravery.
Charlestown, Albouystown, Lodge and the downtown core are downright dangerous places to walk freely from fear of being mugged.
The new petty criminals grew up since 1992. A lot of them are of the new generation that grew up under the failed “new dawn” era – a time of free and fair elections, and of a young President.
Are we cursed as a nation, condemned to be ruled by inept leaders?
Which Minister stands out as a role model to the nation? What happened to President Jagdeo’s efforts to inspire the youth of this nation?
We have failed as a society on so many levels.
It is time for a change. It is time to transform this nation into the promise of its potential.
Guyanese everywhere in the world, especially here at home, want leadership that would inspire them, cause them to walk taller, square their shoulders and tackle the task of lifting their homeland to the heights of development.
Amerindians want to play a significant role in their country, instead of playing a token part.
We have seen too many generations fall through the social cracks, including the generation since 1992 of these starving petty criminals who rob and pillage on the streets, shirtless on bicycles.
We have got to stop failing our children, and start delivering to them the great promise of being Guyanese.
