Dear Editor,
Official government advocates are making a bad situation worse; their words and postures neither help nor comfort. No matter how rationalized or nuanced, they only pulverize and mangle further this distressing pay issue. Citizens are alienated; and the administration bares an unacceptable side that taunts political memories, and stokes the inevitable comparison. There is a better way.
At the least, seek to bridge the mental gap, smooth the emotional distance. It follows these lines in an imaginary press release. This government is conscious of its heavy mandate, its far reaching promises, the legacy inherited, the plight of the Guyanese people, and surging national expectations.
It is committed to listening and acting; acting with a view to bringing to a place of mutual understanding, mutual appreciation, and mutual regard. It is distasteful to be compared to recent governments, anathema to be mentioned in the same breath.
It is why a decision has been made; now here is what is involved.
Today, the implementation of the pay raise is suspended (indefinitely). Citizens are thanked for their contributions, for influencing this decision. This unprecedented step is an indication of this government’s willingness to listen, to grow with constituents, to be different, to transform this land into a better place for all. Repeat: for all citizens.Those interrogating the foregoing will be quick to notice a few things in that freely tendered advisory. It is an immediate moratorium on payment (Official Gazette notwithstanding), but not a full-fledged reversal. Call it an Executive Order.
It is a face-saving attempt to reconcile sharply clashing outlooks. It affords time; it cools passions; and it facilitates progressing from the dogmatic to the pragmatic. How? By doing what follows in precisely the same order.
Go later. Go lower. Go incrementally. Go after those waiting and expecting. And go gently (less abrasively) into the fray. “No apologies” might sound routine and civil to some; but it is just as jarring and damning as those notorious demeaning leadership diatribes hurled previously in the face of this nation.
Astute army men are familiar with tactical withdrawals necessitated by circumstances, if only to regroup for larger strategic objectives. This is such an occasion. This is what is recommended. This synchronizes and supplants. All concerned wins; all can progress to greater more urgent challenges. It speaks towards good faith, good governance, and good old-fashioned horse sense.
Surely, there are some resident in the Olympian heights of this government who stand ready and willing to unveil such a Solomonic overture and manifest the best in Petrine humility. I submit that such will accrue to the growth and betterment of all.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
