Dear Editor,
I offer my congratulations to the winners of this election, APNU+AFC President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. The people of Guyana have expressed much confidence in the honourable gentlemen. They are able and willing to govern and to solve the many problems facing this country, including the most important one of building a nation out of many races. This nation took a hard blow to its body politic, imposed on it by a group who wanted Indians to vote on the basis of race rather than on issues. The Indian-Guyanese people rose to that challenge and voted no. The new rulers have a challenge on their hands, namely, how to end a culture based on racial voting.
There are many lessons from this now concluded election. One of them is that this nation has responded admirably to a new message preached by Messrs Granger and Nagamootoo to overcome the legacies of the past and look to the future. As a Guyanese, nothing gives me more joy and optimism than to contemplate the scene of hundreds of African families driving a distance of 75 miles from Georgetown to Whim Village to join Indian families to demonstrate solidarity, and confidence in a new idea.
And to listen to a different message preached by a new duo of leaders who wanted to leave the past behind and help Guyana emerge into the dawn of new ideas of politics befitting a diverse society and consistent with a new world environment.
I wish to highlight one very important problem, the high crime rate. I say to the new leaders: please treat this problem with urgency. There will not be much of a country, if the Guyanese people have to constantly live in fear that someone will invade at any time with a gun and kill the occupants.
This problem is highlighted in yesterday’s SN. Ramesh Puran and his family were in Guyana (Belvedere, Corentyne) to pay tribute to their parent(s) who have passed on. A home invasion with guns took place. And, he was killed. This kind of crime must be reduced or stopped. A study should be commissioned to figure out the causes and solutions. And act on them.
They should also reduce high school dropout rate. Values must be inculcated in young kids. They must end the scourge of guns and drugs, and rebuild the police force. Crimes must be solved within 24 or 48 hours, so the perpetrators don’t get a chance to commit another crime. All crimes must be solved. The court system should be rebuilt to hand out swift justice.
Best of luck and good wishes to the new leaders.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
