Dear Editor,
Nearly half a century ago in May 1966 with the arrival of Independence, Guyanese were saying that we have a nation to build. The then leaders on both sides of the political divide and forward-thinking Guyanese had a vision of development, economic and social, in all spheres of life and living in all parts of the country.
And now nearly fifty years later we are still waiting to see the ‘glory’ referred to in the third stanza of our national anthem. The majority of Guyanese voters are against the government; they are dissatisfied with the state of play, with their quality of life and living, with the observance of law and order in the society, and with the manner in which the government operates. Furthermore, we are not united and we are not free. I hasten to point out that the recent granting of radio and television licences to certain selected persons does not spell freedom. If we are to witness nation-building, there must be genuine democratization processes and practices. There must be ongoing modernization of the country, and there must be the assurance of service and protection by the police.
In the first half of the period of independence, the country witnessed a number of developments. These include the increased access to education, particularly at the secondary level, and together with the 1976 take-over of schools by the state, the abolition of the payment of fees for basic formal education; the establishment in 1969 of the National Insurance Scheme to provide benefits to contributors in times of sickness and old age; the construction in 1968 of a highway from Soesdyke to Mackenzie in order to link the capital of Georgetown with the town of Linden, and to provide a gateway to the interior trails; the construction in 1978 of the Demerara Harbour Bridge to provide a 24-hour link for, amongst others, the growing populations on both sides of Rio Demerara; and the division in 1980 of the country into ten regions to help to democratize the system of government at the local level and to make more efficient the delivery of certain services to people.
Although in the 1980s the country began to experience some economic difficulties, which affected the ability of the state to provide services as before, it must be conceded that the above-mentioned developments, at the initiative of the government, were designed to enhance the quality of life and living of most Guyanese irrespective of race and class.
The second half of the period of independence is a different story. The country experienced, especially in the 1980s, some economic difficulties, which affected the ability of the state to provide certain services as before, but the situation began to improve by the early 1990s. However, in the last two decades, true and genuine nation-building has come to a virtual stop. Yes, we have more and bigger houses being erected everywhere in housing schemes sponsored by the state and by private investors; we have multi-storied commercial buildings being erected by the private sector; we have our first stadium; we are about to see our unnecessary ten-storey Marriott Hotel; we have the Berbice River Bridge, regarded as being constructed in the wrong place; and we have tens of thousands more vehicles on our existing roads with virtual gridlock in traffic in Georgetown, on the lower East Bank, the West Bank Demerara, and on the lower East Coast, both in the morning and afternoon as workers and students travel to and from work and school (and ‘lessons’).
What are the achievements of today’s government to make life and living more enjoyable for the majority of Guyanese irrespective of race and class? Do we measure our progress by the amount of garbage in the Garden City of Georgetown? Or by our transportation woes by road and by river? Or by the tug-o-war between government and opposition?
Here are some down-to-earth situations. Daily I see workers and students in an attempt to secure transportation to the West Demerara in the afternoons and evenings running helter-skelter behind 31 and 32 minibuses in Lombard Street in order not to be left late on the road. It is not fun; it is ungainly, embarrassing and unsatisfactory. After more than thirty years, cannot the responsible authorities set up a better arrangement? Is this progress? Why cannot we have a modern bus terminal with ‘big’ buses in the square bounded by Lombard Street, Brickdam, the Demerara River and Bugle Street?
Next, more transportation woes: The T&HD Ferry Service between Georgetown and Vreed-en-Hoop ceased to function many years ago and the two stellings have gone to rack and ruin. Meanwhile passengers who use the river taxis are daily forced to negotiate rough, slippery and narrow steps and walkways to get in and out of the vessels.
Money should have been voted in Parliament to construct modern passenger accommodation. At the same time passengers who use the speedboats between Parika and Supenaam, and between Parika and Bartica enter and leave similar vessels by way of treacherous stairways, especially in wet weather. This lack of concern for the travelling public can be highlighted in the case of a female magistrate on duty being asked to travel by these means from Parika to Bartica in order to preside over court in Bartica. Is this progress?
Another case for concern: Whenever there is an outbreak of fire in ‘old’ Georgetown and Greater Georgetown, the fire tenders suffer from a lack of an adequate supply of water. We have heard repeatedly that the maintenance of the hydrants is not the responsibility of the city council, that it is not that of the Guyana Water Inc, nor of the Ministry of Works. If there is no clear indication of which agency is responsible, it is the duty of the central government to assign responsibility to whichever agency seems most capable, rather than leave the matter unresolved for such an extended period. This is a call for action. Any worthy senior civil servant should advise that that is the solution to the problem. Are we making progress? Incidentally, what is the average response time in 2012 for the arrival on scene by the Guyana Fire Service tenders to calls to 912? Was this an improvement on 2011?
One more case of concern: The Ministry of Education claims that Guyana almost has universal secondary education. In recent years the remaining community high schools have been converted to, or baptized, secondary schools. But it is not known what the quality of secondary education being provided is in these schools as well as in the older secondary schools. The questions in Parliament about the distribution of textbooks in the four core subjects, and about the number of students passing at least five subjects at CSEC examinations remained unanswered after one year. It is commendable that Guyana consistently secures several top awards in CXC examinations. However, these successes do not reflect the true picture of the secondary school system. Therefore, while access to secondary schooling has cosmetically been expanded, genuine quality remains in doubt. We must not forget a matter like the scandal about the Ministry of Education first acquiring by tender photocopied textbooks, and later because of litigation over copyright violations cancelling the arrangement, which increased the shortage of individual textbooks for individual students. Have we been developing? In the long run the quality of students completing secondary education would determine the quality of workers in science and technology, the quality of jurors available, the level of academic attainment by recruits for the Police Force, and the quality of teachers for training to perpetuate the education system.
And now a reference to a question of how we govern ourselves: This sovereign state has an acting Chancellor at the head of the judiciary, and an acting Chief Justice, not for one month, but for more than five years! Does it not matter that this branch of government should have substantive appointments in these key positions? One is forced to ask the question about the culpability of the government and of the opposition to allow such a state of affairs to continue for so long. How would Guyana, Barbados and Belize have reacted if there had been an acting Chief Justice in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for the past five years? How would these three states (for which the CCJ is the final court of appeal) and the other Caricom states view the CCJ, as it attempts to build its reputation to gain further acceptance? Is our sovereign state demonstrating maturity in not settling the highest appointments in this branch of government?
When you compare the achievements of the government in the first twenty years of Independence with those of the last twenty years, you see the attempts by the first government to improve the infrastructure of the country and to encourage national pride. In the last twenty years we have been treated with a disregard for the common good, which so often is justified by some convoluted arguments. Important government notices which should have widespread dissemination are placed in the Guyana Chronicle, and not in the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News. The services of employees of the Guyana Energy Agency are terminated after polygraph tests, when the police dare not use such tests to aid them in solving crimes. Much of the travelling public is fed up with the inability of the police to stop the loud music and vulgar lyrics in the mini-buses. The litany of woes can go on and on.
There are not enough willing persons to help build character. There are too few mentors for the younger generation to emulate. Nearly everyone is on a hustle. And we still have a nation to build!
Yours faithfully,
Walter B Alexander
