Dear Editor,
Within recent weeks there have many editorials, letters and reports commenting on various aspects of the new government’s performance, or lack of. Any number of conclusions can be drawn from these sources. I will mention four conclusions that are of interest to me.
First, some voters did not just vote for a change of government, they voted for higher value systems, better thinking and more accountability and transparency in the manner in which Guyanese are governed. In short they have very high expectations of this new government and have voted for profound change. Second, the coalition did itself a great disservice by stipulating a 100-day timeline during which it would have delivered on some of the promises made during its election campaign. Third, since the faithful of the disparate parties in the coalition had to be rewarded, the prevailing constitutional and political arrangements do not make for the best possible government that Guyana’s social, economic and environmental realities demand. Fourth and probably the most crucial: the rate of progress in each sector will depend on the quality of human resources available.
This notwithstanding, the problems and challenges faced by the new government are not insurmountable. Lennox Cornette’s letter to the editor: ‘Guyana needs think tanks’(SN, August 16), recommends the establishment of a national think tank that would generate ideas in areas critical to Guyana’s development. I support this recommendation most vigorously since it has immediate benefits especially if the think tank emphasizes creativity, innovation and problem-solving. The new government has not had the opportunity to govern for a long time so that it not only needs all the help it can get, but it needs to learn and learn quickly. Think tanks are great learning resources and are widely used in the developed world.
Some of the benefits of having a national think tank are: 1) Research indicates that where a critical mass of mind power or intellectual entrepreneurs have the opportunity to interact with each other, the resulting colleague climate is far more likely to facilitate, generate, and nurture creativity, innovation and problem-solving than when these individuals operate in relative isolation; 2) in our context it would significantly enhance the capacity of any sector for doing things in new ways, and for sustaining ongoing profound change; 3) it would have a positive influence on the development of local intellectual traditions and could prove to be the forerunner of a much needed Guyanese Academy of Arts and Sciences; and 4) it would help to facilitate and nurture the development of political maturity.
The new government must recognize and acknowledge that it does not have a monopoly on intellect or ideas. It needs to garner all the help it can get. In addition to would-be investors, it needs individuals who can make contributions in other areas, particularly in the applied sciences, sciences, technology, and science education. Research indicates that teachers with a science background make better mathematics teachers. Further, in North America (USA and Canada), teachers are allowed to teach as long as they are able. A few days ago the BBC featured a 91-year old female occupational health technology designer still on the job in Silicon Valley, California, USA.
It will not be enough, however, to change strategies, structures and systems, unless the thinking that produced those former strategies, structures and systems also changes. There is much to be done and time is not on the government’s side. The actualization of the goals contained in its development programme will ultimately depend on the speed and efficiency with which certain given attitudes are modified and actually changed. In my opinion, the education sector (University of Guyana included), must urgently take steps to not only provide the leadership for this movement, but must also model the required changes with honesty and courage as its watchwords.
Editor, a rare opportunity has come in the affairs of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana which if fully apprehended would lead on to fortune, the good life, and happiness. If this opportunity is squandered it may never ever be regained, and the lives of all of Guyana’s future generations would be bound in misery and despair (my apologies to William Shakespeare).
Yours faithfully,
Clarence O Perry
