Dear Editor,
Before I treat with the thrust of my contribution, I must compliment Fire Chief Gentle and his brave team for averting a major disaster at Eccles a few days ago. Kudos must also go to Commander Hicken and his personnel for taking control of the affected corridor.
Now, my take on our Nation’s youths.
Thousands of youths throughout Guyana have been exposed to numerous workshops and other training programmes organised by a host of agencies: the Government, political parties, diplomatic missions, sporting bodies; the list is long. The expected outcome of all these initiatives is that our youths will be more analytic and pragmatic in how and what they say and do; in their perspectives of who they will be in another few years and the contributions they will make to developing Guyana.
After all, aren’t they the leaders of tomorrow? Our youths of voting age account for about 45% of our electorate and I will wager that at least 85% of them have a secondary school education. By any standard that is flattering. We have a pretty educated youth population.
But what is not flattering is the utterance by many youths of voting age that they have no interest in voting at the upcoming May 11 elections. How can we on one hand lay claim to being educated, analytical and pragmatic while on the other hand express disinterest in the direction and goings-on of our country?
As a cricket coach of sorts and (part-time) trainer in Leadership, I interact with youths and I find that they can be pretty incisive. But there is also a strong tendency on their part to be swayed towards perception rather than hard, substantiated facts. It is as if they are reluctant (not unable) to “sus” out the reality from the perception. And this is my observation as I visit communities of all ethnicities.
To be leaders and parents of tomorrow requires the willingness to accept the obligations and challenges of leaders and parents. Decisions on whether to purchase a house or a vehicle or making a baby or voting at elections must be premised on measurables, not suppositions or perceptions.
My call to that 40 plus % of youths who are qualified to vote is that you exercise your franchise in recognition of your ability to analyse and to make your own decision. Do not let leaders with narrow interests influence you on how to vote. Rather, vote on the basis of issues about which you know rather than on perceptions drummed into you by others.
Use your own judgement!
You have been educated to do that!
Yours faithfully,
Taajnauth Jadunauth
