Dear Editor,
President David Granger seems to be finding himself in some very precarious positions as he seeks to unite this divided country. Looking on from the outside it appears that many of those close to President Granger and those who are friends of those close to him, are not on the same page with him. There has not been an event that I have attended where the President did not deliberately, or via segue, touch on the topic of social cohesion.
Both when he speaks publicaly and when he is met privately, his constant refrain is that of the need and the benefits of social cohesion. The mantra of the magnanimity of a social contract in Guyana rolls off the tongue of the President as Adele’s “Hello” from the lips of a repentant lover. But that same deliberate desire for national cooperation seems to be lost on some of those close to the President.
From the unnecessary prolonged defence of the coalition’s right to splash their colours all over the country, to the GINA’s reluctance to cover the opposition’s views, to the whimsical disdain for anything PPP, it all speaks of a failure of the coalition to catch the President’s message of inclusion.
The work of social cohesion is not going to be easy. We are a broken nation for some 50 years and any profound change will not come easily. In addition, there are those who, for their own personal and political survival, will do everything they can to keep this country divided. Whether that divide is economic, racial or ideological, there are those whose only relevance comes from fuelling a national divide and they will never relent. Relenting will mean their political death and maybe, their financial and societal demise. And because of their public positions they are pushing the red-meat kind of divisive politics. Those persons, from either side of the divide, need to be ignored and their policies of divisiveness shunned.
Good will triumph over evil and those of us, especially those who are responsible for crafting national policies, need to pledge our allegiance to the work and realization of national unity.
Those strategically placed in the leadership of the current administration need to quickly buy into the stated objective on the President on this issue. The government, through the Minister of Social Cohesion, might need to convene some formal workshops among its leaders and governmental officials, in the art of developing the social contract of which the President speaks. The administration needs to mandate that care be taken in the execution of their tasks, with the objective of social cohesion being the default practice.
The government and its affiliates should do nothing to have any of the supporters of the opposition feel like they are being ostracized. And if at any time they are accused of bias, the administration must be able to objectively and candidly justify their position. Maybe I am utopian in my views, however, I think that nothing ventured, nothing gained. As a pastor my default behaviour is one of forgiveness and inclusivity. The Gospel is a message of social cohesion; it talks about turning the other cheek, of going the extra mile and of giving your cloak when your coat is taken.
The President’s commitment to national unity suggests that he is not only being guided by his patriotic compass but indeed by his religious persuasion. It therefore behooves those within his administration – at all levels – to read the tea leaves and find some religious, nationalistic or moral reason to leave the petty, political, pandering aside and join the President in this national agenda.
Yours faithfully,
Wendell Jeffrey, Pastor
Candidate for District 8
Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust
