Dear Editor,
The time has come for all Guyanese to reject racial discrimination and political disunity, learn to break free from ethnic voting and choose a political party based on merit.
As the elections draw near there is no doubt that people will begin to think that it is incumbent on them to vote race when they exercise their franchise, not looking at the fact that in order for our democracy to mature we must first look beyond African, East Indian and Amerindian, and choose a government of unity, one that can make Guyana the envy of South and Latin America and the Caribbean.
We possess so much in the way of natural resources and potential for economic transformation, yet we have allowed ourselves to believe that politicians can do it all by themselves. Our goal should be to work in harmony to create wealth, social justice and prosperity for all Guyanese; we must never allow our political beliefs to prevent us from uniting to build a free nation.
I truly believe as a young Guyanese that I must respect the rights of my fellow brothers and sisters to vote for a political party of their choice, because at the end of the day the PPP/C, APNU and AFC consist of Guyanese, and despite the fact that their policies may differ, when these elections are over we all still have to live and work together.
So I urge our people to resist any form of harassment, discord and character assassination on the political platform and send a strong message to our politicians that we will not allow animosity and acrimony, but we will exercise our democratic right of personal choice and preference.
I take this opportunity also to extend hearty congratulations to our outgoing long-serving Prime Minister, Mr Samuel Hinds, who has served this nation with distinction and no doubt has made a positive contribution towards nation building. Mr Hinds is well respected across the political divide, and I am sure we will accept that he served well.
Yours faithfully,
Andre Fortune
