Says parties must address future of nation at congresses
The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has condemned last week's violence at the Office of the President (OP) and it says both major political parties must make the future of the nation and securing it the pivotal agenda items at their upcoming congresses.
In a statement on Wednesday, it said that the voices raised in indignation and disgust at the events at OP which included another eruption "of violent crime against citizens of Indo-Guyanese origin" reflects the sentiments of a much larger segment of the populace.
"Both of the major parties in Guyana are in serious denial, in that neither accepts that their base is racial, neither accepts the political system is structurally inadequate and neither accepts that these features leave the country, particularly the Indo-Guyanese community vulnerable to further violence", the GHRA asserted.
It said that party congresses normally provide opportunities for two things: self-praise and abusing the other party. "On this occasion it would be inexcusable if the future of the nation and how to secure it were not the over-riding agenda for both congresses", the statement said.
The GHRA said that in the circumstances of self-seeking political leadership, ordinary citizens have to rely on the goodwill and sanity of each other to keep the society together. The human rights group said citizens need to find creative ways of demonstrating a commitment to making Guyana a place where people of all races can live together and nurture a secure and harmonious future. The ordinary citizen also needs to create effective pressure on political leaders for them to provide a system which furthers and protects this vision.
Experts, consultants and the intellectual elite are not the answer, according to GHRA. It argued that part of the current crisis stems from failing to ensure that ordinary people feel that their voice counts. Secondly, rather than expertise, GHRA said the current circumstances demand personal integrity from people in all walks of life and professions. "This should be demonstrated in publicly challenging extremists on our own side, ensuring our own behaviour and conversations do not aggravate racism and speaking the truth as we genuinely see it", the GHRA said.
Noting that a number of prominent citizens have been moved to make frank statements on the incidents last week Wednesday, GHRA suggested that this tactic should be multiplied by people from all walks of life. "While action to stop the violence is within the grasp of the political leadership, ensuring a stable national future is the job of all of us, as responsible citizens", GHRA added.