The hustle mentality will be the bane of development  

WE are living in a world where sound-bytes are becoming acceptable forms to influence support, speak to issues, and perform in a manner not to the welfare of the people and their peaceful co-existence. There is a crisis in the delivery of service, not supported by the laws and acceptable tenets, but acceptance to fall for sound-bytes and the new category of con-artists (hustlers) that are taking the people for a ride, using their tax dollars to militate against their interest.

The government, trade union, private sector, cooperative, and other institutions are not exempted from review. People are speaking to issues and engaging in acts not guided by laws and universal acceptable principles but by gut-feeling and expedience. When we talk about hustle we mean operating outside of universally acceptable norms and standards.

As a citizen of the world, when Donald Trump was elected President of the United States (U.S.) on a campaign ran purely on sound-bytes and devoid of substance, integrity and programmes, there resided serious reservations as to the quality of governance he could deliver to the U.S.,the world and international institutions, given the country’s global influence.

Since his presidency, we have seen Executive Orders to ban the entry of Muslims, which the Courts have rejected given their discriminatory content and violation of the constitution. Last week, attention was paid to him and the House of Representatives move  to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA), given that in addition to projections the vote would have denied 24 million access to care, the human rights element troubled me.

The United Nations, which the U.S. co-founded, has declared healthcare a fundamental right and the effort by the Barack Obama administration to make it a reality, through the ACA, has my support. Thankfully, the House failed to get the required votes to replace the Act and as Republican Speaker Paul Ryan-a principal mover against the ACA- was compelled to conclude in the moment of defeat, “Obamacare remains the law of the land.”

Those who wanted to deny this right to all are beneficiaries of care for them and family, through a federal healthcare plan. Trump, who is obsessed with erasing Obama’s legacy, as president has round-the-clock physician, an emergency medical vehicle that travels with him and free access to military hospitals, all paid for through the sweat of the labour of the taxpayers whom he wanted to deny at least a little of what he enjoys.

What the U.S. situations are advising us is that the hustle mentality poses a threat of becoming the new norm and should it be allowed to succeed, carries dire implications for the people’s rights, freedoms, growth and development. Guyana is not spared in this regard and whereas the U.S has active civil society and other systems of checks and balances that can aid in righting the society, we are not quite there.

When persons vie for leadership or are appointed to leadership, coming with it, is great responsibility. Elected leadership is about programmes developed for the people, guided by principles, conventions, charters, rules and laws.  Appointed leadership is expected to abide by the aforesaid and implement programmes within the confines of the policies.

The society condemns the policeman who solicits or accepts “small piece” when a person violates the law, not recognising the condemnation, though deserving, the police is a microcosm of the degeneracy that accepts hustling as the best way to give the impression that things are done according to the rules or to skirt the rules.

When a government minister refuses to follow law and procedures to execute an act, because such requires compliance and justification, which he/she considers hindrance to achieving a pre-determined agenda, this is a form of hustling. The consequence of such behaviour not only threatens the systems in place to ensure law and order, but sets a dangerous precedent, and erodes good governance.

That elected and appointed official who makes you feel he is getting the job done by refusing to respect laws and established rules, being contemptuous of demographics he/she considers a humbug, though the rights of the group are protected, he/she is not operating in the interest of acceptable behaviour and the collective, but making statements because they sound sexy and provide relatable sound-bytes.

The businessman who thinks it appropriate to work with a custom officer to rob the State its deserving revenue robs the society, and hinders the execution of programmes for the public good. Likewise, the elected officials who have the authority at their disposal to effect laws, policies and programmes to empower the people, but instead pretend the job is being done by calling on the people to act when they do not have the institutional capacity to so do,  are engaging in a hustle at the people’s expense.

By some twisted logic these persons have come to accept that calling for things to get done when they are the ones who hold the levers to get them done is a sufficient form of governance. Yes, it provides good sound-bytes and headlines that somebody recognises the problem and is calling for it to be fixed, but why must we as a people settle for this hustle from those who are entrusted the responsibility to deliver?

The historical integrity that came with wanting to serve the public has been increasingly brought into question for years now. This society can bear witness to public officials who have abused the people’s confidence to pursue avenues for personal enrichment. Any way such acts are looked at, regardless of who is in office, or has your vote, it is unacceptable. Public service was never meant to be the vehicle for personal enrichment.

Every progressive society has enshrined in its law the people’s rights and freedoms and behaviours that flow therefrom are expected to confirm and respect these tenets, be it government or non-government organisations. The trending hustle mentality, which holds in contempt these values, is robbing us of what we justly deserve.

We deserve good governance, quality social services, tax compliance, security, proper representation, decent wages and working conditions, employment, and other opportunities which would redound to our development. We must therefore hold ourselves and leaders accountable for realising and delivering these.

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