Dear Editor,
I would like to issue a call to all my fellow Guyanese to rethink the situation on the national level in which we find ourselves from a fresh perspective, and make an effort in whatever arena they find themselves to resolve once and for all the relationships we share so that we can really join together and contribute to the mutual development of our people.
This would entail each of us, of whatever political persuasion, community or grouping, putting aside our several interests and differences and striving to find a way by which we could co-operatively make the greatest contribution to our national progress.
We all know that our most insurmountable obstacles relate to whatever political and ethnic group we belong to, and so this must lead us to realise that these are the areas in which we must make the greatest efforts to achieve national cohesion. It is clear that our politicians have been the greatest offenders in both of these areas, as we carry on the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ that we inherited from our colonial past, to the ‘Winner take All’ that has been the code of our own political culture since our Independence, and the ‘We and Them’ tradition which they have encouraged among our two main races and which has permeated all other areas of our lives.
I have always decried the tradition of our political interaction in Parliament which I feel has been directed by the term identifying the Members of Parliament on the losing side as the ‘opposition’, which must have been mainly responsible for those members believing that they are doing their duty when they simply oppose.
It would be such a boon to our progress if all our elected representatives could cooperate and work constructively on the various projects towards fulfilling the responsibilities that have been entrusted to them by our people.
I would now appeal to the present opposition to bite the bullet and make an unprecedented effort to change this parliamentary culture by doing their part in bringing into reality the co-operative nature of our Republic, which I am sure will earn them kudos from all Guyanese. But, as the power to change our political culture ultimately rests with the government of the day, then those now in authority must realise their sacred obligation to include all of our elected representatives in Parliament in any actions and strategies to facilitate the equitable welfare of all our people. This means that the present policy in relation to those in the past administration, must be curtailed forthwith and be replaced by a positive effort to unite and work together for the advancement of all our citizens.
I also issue an appeal to all Guyanese to always bear in mind that colour is skin-deep, and we should strive assiduously to remove this scourge of racial prejudice, which is the greatest hindrance to our national aspirations. If I should venture the solution to this problem, I would like us all to consider that the only permanent answer is that we should earnestly strive to spread love among our people. All other attempts at unity are only perfunctory and temporary and will fizzle out eventually.
Yours faithfully,
Roy Paul
