A NEW OUTLOOK FOR 2003
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
January 3, 2003
As Guyana grapple with the complex of social and political problems resulting from the events of the past 10 months, President Baharrat Jagdeo in presenting his vision for 2003 sought to engage the nation with resolutions of ‘peace and good governance’.
The acid test will however be whether the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government and the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R), under its new leadership, can restart the dialogue process in an atmosphere of ‘trust and goodwill’. The agonizing period between the announcement by the PNC/R of its intention to ‘pause the dialogue process’ and the death of the late Hugh Desmond Hoyte has been marred by statements from both political parties that reflect a tendency to cast blame rather than a willingness to compromise for the greater good. Guyanese deserve better and, irrespective of the elegant words of our President’s New Year’s Day Message, must demand more.
That there are decent and conscientious persons in either political party there is no doubt. However, ordinary citizens, who survived 2002 and the harrowing experiences since February last without the benefit of decent jobs the concerns are likely to be differently poised. There must be an agenda for Peace: a genuine attempt to devise new methods of achieving equality in opportunity and redistribution of the wealth created by the working people of this nation as well as those who have invested capital. In this context, President Jagdeo’s plead that all Guyanese join together in order to ‘build a greater Guyana’ is to be applauded. Attaining the reality is certainly destined to be more difficult and deeply contentious.
In 2003, President Jagdeo must, in his management of this nation’s polity, demonstrate a leadership style that evokes sense of well-being among his political party’s membership as it promotes confidence in investors, businessmen and workers, alike. In short, our President will be on call to establish that the refinement of high office has indeed produced a man capable of caring for those less fortunate, the poor and downtrodden as well as for those who aspire to great riches. For in the final analysis, we are all his constituents.
Guyana cannot in the next decade miss the enormous financial rewards in foreign earnings to be derived from trade in agricultural products or the advantages to be gained through specialization in sugar and rice together with the judicious exploitation of our gold, timber, oil and natural gas resources. Those achievements must figure as high as the political returns from democracy.
Peace and Justice for all needs to be elevated to their proper rankings. Failure to so do shall doom this generation of Guyanese to severe criticism, not merely for ineptitude in face of the challenges of the 21st Century, but for creating a poor heritage.
There is indeed much for Guyanese to be proud of, but unless the talents and energies of us all, including our youngsters, are released and properly harnessed in a society directed towards greater inclusiveness of those who are the ‘best losers’, political stability and economic development shall elude the nation.
