Dear Editor,
I have been much perturbed about these social cohesion stories that have been filling up the papers in the last few days. But, as a society, how do we get the two big races – Indians and Africans ‒ to cohere? Do we lay down laws to force them to cohere; do we lay down quotas like 50% Indians and 50% Africans for the police force, civil service, etc?
Singapore is a model society today. In the 1960s the races there fought each other and there were race riots. Today race riots are unheard of, a thing of the past. How was this achieved?
Last week Fareed Zakaria (CNN) said integration became the law and practice of the land. Each housing development, school, factory, etc, had to practise integration. You could not have one race dominating the factory, school or housing community. What made this policy acceptable? Everyone found a good house, good school, good job, etc. If everyone is happy, why would they want to riot against another race group?
President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania in the 1980s on PBS said of Singapore (to paraphrase) that riots and racial discrimination were the result of underdevelopment ‒ the failure of nations to grow their economies. In this situation there are not enough jobs or houses to go around. And, the government in power will feel the need to give those jobs and houses to their supporters. In Singapore, Nyerere said, there are two jobs for every citizen; and good housing, good schools, good health services. Conclusion: Concentrate on growing the economy. And don’t throw the rule of law out of the window.
Guyana’s economy is barely growing. No one there really understands basic economics. Paddy is exported and milled into rice outside Guyana. Nine Chinese companies are doing logging and exporting raw logs. Value-added benefits accrue to that other country. Is that a model for development?
Leaders are unable to inspire their people to rally behind common goals. Build a hydro-plant, make the plan transparent, sell bonds to the Guyanese public and achieve your goal. Build the bridge, be transparent, sell bonds to the Guyanese public, but do not limit to a select group of the moneyed class. Practise democracy when appointing a board of directors, and achieve your goal. Grow your economy. Maintain the rule of law. Be transparent.
Talking social cohesion is an exercise in futility. You cannot force people to socially cohere. The Ministry of Social Cohesion should be closed. Its function, need and purpose are not defined. They cannot be defined. Why spend millions of dollars to force people to socially cohere when it cannot be done? Concentrate all your energies and resources on growing the economy.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
