Dear Editor
In my less cynical moments, I think elections are a good thing, if only for the tendency they might promise to democracy as an alternative to organized exploitation. At any rate their results do serve to rub our noses in the authoritarian way in which we allow ourselves to be governed. This time around, it took less than six months to expose the abilities and the motivations of our politicians.
It can only be good for the evolution of a society when it has to face basic issues like exploitation versus representation. Our process of learning by trial and error has been speeded up; and if we don’t learn, we’ll continue to get what we deserve.
Now we are promised local government elections as soon as the legislation and the Elections Commis-sion can be ready. Passing over the issue of competence (how hard can it be, for goodness sake, in the year 2015?), all of us have to face the huge task of voter education. Not just how to vote, but what are we voting for? After almost a generation without elected local governance, will Guyana be able to show voters that elections are about more than who gets the money?
Even among activists of the political parties we find a sad level of ignorance about the local government system. We seek in vain for opportunities for independent candidates. For the voters it’s just another chance to show loyalty, bought or inspired, to the party of their choice.
The effect of the election results on voters’ real lives is lost in a maze of officials with no obvious purpose but to impose taxes and fees upon ordinary business. No one offers simple explanations for the system, and the way it is exploited for private gain has become part of everyday life.
The average voter probably doesn’t care that much about the system of his governance. For whatever official process, the officer tells me what paperwork to bring, how much to pay; I comply or find a shortcut. If citizens really objected to excessive bureaucracy, if they refused to pay bribes, then one might almost think that candidates could campaign upon their command of the voters’ trust. But recent events teach us that it’s much more complex than that.
I am not optimistic that Guyana will find a way out of our political morass. But, cynical or realistic, I do want to find out whatever a voter should know about local government elections. I hope that you, Editor, can devote some journalistic resources to the matter. Meanwhile, maybe I’ll try again to find out where to ask, among the various stakeholders and authorities.
The alternative is to wait some more, for voter education from Gecom. Either way, I want to see whether and how the parties explain the system, once they get started on the LGE campaign. Let’s see then how the voters feel they can trust them.
Yours faithfully
Gordon Forte
