Dear Editor,
The more one tries to understand and comprehend Guyana’s politics and politicians the more dispirited and pessimistic one becomes about Guyana’s future development pros-pects. It is near impossible to comprehend how the custodians of our nation can be so inflexible, and even reckless, when it comes to ensuring that the nation’s best interests are advanced and preserved.
At a time when the stakes are so large for our country, we see our politicians playing small. Small in the sense that what only seems to matter is the advancement and preservation of the interests of the party to which they belong. It’s as though they have collectively decided “we will do what’s best in the interests of our parties’ chances at the next election cycle.” I find this, and I’m sure many others will, a very troubling and unfortunate stance that a small emerging country, such as Guyana, cannot withstand or even accommodate.
The constant wrangling and quibbling is swiftly becoming the norm among the political elites. On one side it is tough to get any action on important issues and initiatives and on the other end we find a nonchalant and casual approach to any initiative or legislation that is in the country’s best interests.
The end result has been deathblow after deathblow to legislating and implementing many important initiatives for Guyana. Who suffers? Well, just the rest of us who constitute “the people.”
One must not, and cannot, lose hope though. I believe that we still have well-meaning men and women among our political establishment who are willing to say enough is enough and start to do what is right for Guyana. A simple telephone call from one side to the other to genuinely deliberate and engage on the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Terrorism Bill, establishment of the Public Procurement Commission, identifying senior board officers of the Integrity Commission, and developing an open and inclusive mechanism to ensure a hydro plant is developed are just a few areas to start the proverbial “ball” rolling.
It can be done! It must be done! However, the question remains, are our politicians listening or even care? I guess only time will tell.
Yours faithfully,
Clinton Urling
