Dear Editor,
A number of recent coups in Africa is indicative that democracy is still fragile and cannot be taken for granted. The dust has not as yet settled in Myanmar, where a democratically elected government was toppled, and a military junta seized power against the will of the electorate. And while the storming of Capital Hill, just over a year ago, may not qualify as an attempted coup, it does raises some serious questions about the enduring power of democracy and the rule of law in one of the countries, that has to its credit, some of the strongest democratic institutions in the world.
Guyana has had a chequered governance past, interspersed by periods of democratic and authoritarian rule. There is a close correlation between democracy and development, as our own experience has demonstrated. This is why it is so important to consolidate democracy and democratic rule in Guyana, and the world as a whole. There can be no alternative to democracy, and even though it may not be ideal, especially in an ethnically diverse society, it is still the best possible governance mechanism available to the modern world.
Sincerely,
Hydar Ally
