Has there ever been a time since Independence when we were not fighting in this country? It has not always been with weaponry, but there has been an ongoing warfare that plays on the emotions of the people, imprisoning them with oppression and segregation.
Here we are again. The game between the opponents vying for the throne in ‘Kingdom Guyana’ has reached another peak. And how many of us are shocked that once again the claws of the fiercest competitors are out to draw blood? Those of us who were stunned by the results of the no-confidence motion brought against the government by the opposition, forgot,perhaps for a moment, that our stability has always been threatened in this land of many waters.
We have repeatedly witnessed through the actions of some of our leaders that it is not the people who come first in our 83,000 square miles of unrealised potential and enviable natural resources. Nature has bestowed Guyana with everything that is needed for her citizens to enjoy life, yet most of us are often frustrated and disappointed, manipulated and made to live in poverty and despair because the captains of our ships continue to take us through the roughest tides.
The games being played with the people of Guyana have never been fun or funny. The time to do right by the people passed many years ago. Yet many of our people are still being used as pawns in this sinister game. Many are trained to believe that the power is not within themselves but in the hands of others and the characters emerging from various belief systems; so, instead of demanding that the grand prizes be theirs, they instead see the game being restarted and the rewards along the way mostly escape the grasp of the people.
We are powerless if we do not change this game – if we do not demand changing our status from pawns. We are powerless if we cannot or refuse to think. We are powerless if we are afraid to stand. We are powerless if we cannot sound our voices.
Guyana’s main illness is that her people cannot wholly unite. It seems terminal at times, like she is in a hospice, but death will not come for she is strong, and healing is the only option. There is no way we can choose to ignore her need for healing, leaving her to collapse again under the weight of corruption that has shaped so much of her narrative. We know that many of her people are selfish – only concerned with what they can gain regardless of the consequences.
Now that she profusely bleeds oil, the lure of greed and exploitation is even greater. Still many of her people appear to be brainwashed; sipping on poisoned ‘Kool Aid’ while marching into the arms of those who are poisoning them. Many of her people seem daft or devoid of thought. Many of her people choose to forget; despite having seen great suffering, a land of terror, criminalities and woes, they stifle their conscience, selling their confidence and their power, feeding the god complex of men hungry for power. It is never wise to forget the past, though we cannot dwell in it. Guyana’s peoples are all shades of beautiful, culturally diverse and many continue to let those elements be the driving forces behind their choices in their leaders. They want to believe that some have blue and purple blood running through their veins as they dehumanise each other. Don’t we deserve what this has resulted in? When will we be sure of long-term stability and progress when many of us cannot even respect each other? How will we be able to stand against our enemies if we cannot come together as a nation?
In whom shall we have confidence? Friends and family, when they can betray us? Religious leaders, who may leave everything to prayer and meditation? Our Gods, many of whom we really do not know? In elected representatives, many of whom have displayed over and over again that their focus is solely on self? Having confidence in ourselves is necessary. We must be brave to stand and do what is right and best for our country.
Our children deserve a better Guyana. We all deserve a better Guyana. The answer for the continued healing our nation is still national unity. One-party rule has done nothing but worked against us since 1966. We have seen good men and women gain power only to transform; the narcissistic spirit possesses them, and they walk like gods among their people not to inspire and motivate them, but to control them.
With unity, we can rise. With unity, we are strong to battle the foreign elements that threaten our country. With unity, little by little, the dreadfulness of the past will be reminders of where we have been, how far we have come, but not the definition of our future. With unity, there can be progress for all Guyanese, and we can quiet those who resist cohesion and are enemies of our progress.
This is our Guyana, our home, our land, our love and our hearts are here. Here, we are first class citizens and deserve to be treated as such and not the forgotten and neglected children who are only remembered when leaders are desperate for our support.
2019 approaches with many expectations, many fears, many hopes and dreams. We can no longer stand with our faces to the wind and dream and hope that our leaders will save us. We all have the ability to save ourselves. We need not bow to the egos of those arrogant leaders who say one thing, but act otherwise. We do not have to allow them to continue to manipulate us for their own gains. We do not have to continue to feed the racial divide that has crippled us for too long. We must free ourselves and stand as one. We cannot wait.
