Not just a showpiece
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
April 20, 2004
GUYANA is not unique in the manner in which its President and ministers deal with the people, but there are not too many countries where it is possible for persons with problems to meet the country’s elected leaders.
Almost every week there are photos or reports of visits by the President or ministers, rapping with the people, listening to their problems and visiting problem areas on the spot.
Besides those seen in the media, there are countless connections between those who have been elected to govern and the voters who make the choice.
In a young and developing nation, this is an important feature and necessary to correct mistakes or find new ideas and concepts and also, for the grassroots to be able to express their fears, their doubts, their grievances to someone who not only listens, but can do something to remedy the problem or to correct implementation of plans that may have gone awry due to incompetence or dishonesty or greed.
As we know it, our President and ministers walk the streets of Georgetown, Linden, Anna Regina, and New Amsterdam, etc., meeting people, seeing them at work or carrying out their normal lives.
Some may cynically say that these are ‘photo ops’, but the reality is that they are done so frequently that it would be hard to label them in that manner.
They visit the villages, hold bottom-house or community meetings, explain government policy and its plans for a particular area, go into our rivers and interior areas and keep contact with people.
That this form of regular contact exists and is not just a showpiece, but a method adopted through the years is something we must appreciate and be proud that it exists in our country.