It is said that the greatest of all freedoms is the freedom of choice. There is tremendous substance in this saying.

Any society that puts a limit on freedom of choice is what is often termed a closed society as opposed to open societies where individuals are free to exercise their fundamental human rights including the freedom to elect a government of their choice. A look at the map would reveal that an increasing number of countries are moving away from closed societies to more democratic and open societies. There was a time when most of the countries in Latin America were under military rule and where opposition parties especially on the left of the political spectrum were banned or persecuted.

Chile under the dictator Pinochet was a good example of torture and killings of opposition political activists.

Today, Chile is a democratic country but the scars of the past continue to haunt the people of that country. Pinochet himself was forced to submit himself to judicial interrogation for the crimes committed during that period.

QUOTE: ‘Guyana has come a far way in terms of addressing inequities in the distributions of social goods even though much more remains to be done. There is freedom of choice as never existed hitherto.’

The fact is that it is much more difficult for dictators and those who practice genocide against their people to get away with such atrocities. Many have been hauled before the International Court of Justice in The Hague and are made to account for their actions.

Guyana, thankfully has been spared the blatant violations of human rights that so many countries are exposed to. In fact, Guyana today could be regarded as an open society where there is respect for fundamental human rights and the rule of law. This has been acknowledged by a recent UN Report in which it states “that Guyana, a secular state in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society is now a unique, inclusive governance model.’ The Report also lauded the country for its Poverty Reduction Strategy and also its Low Carbon Development Strategy both of which has had a positive impact on the process of securing Guyana’s future along sustainable lines.

The truth of the matter is that there is in Guyana today significant levels of openness and freedoms which are sometimes taken for granted. No Guyanese can say that they were denied opportunities because of political affiliation or on ethnic grounds.

The Ethnic Relations Commission was established by this current PPP/C administration and it has been doing a good job not only in terms of trying to forge national consensus and reconciliation but also in terms of investigation of any allegations of discrimination on the grounds of race and ethnicity.

The most significant advance is in the area of consolidating and institutionalizing our democracy.

It is true that our democracy is still evolving and has not been perfected, especially in the context of our plurality.

But as the UN Report highlighted, the country has made significant strides in terms of inclusivity and governance which puts us as country in good standing when compared to other heterogeneous societies.

As Guyanese we ought to be proud of our maturity. It is true that we experienced some painful moments in the early 1960’s when ethnicity and race were manipulated to divide us as a people.

This was done as part of a bigger plot by the imperial powers to deny the country independence under a working-class PPP government. In other words, the aim was to divide and rule and to prevent us from asserting ourselves as a people.

Politics and ideology were the main underlying factors but race was used as the vehicle to realize the greater imperial plan.

All of that is now water under the bridge. Today all Guyanese share the fruits of the collective labour of the society as a whole.

An examination of the social goods given out by the state and employment in the state sector would reveal that there is no discrimination.

The government has been even-handed in the distribution of social goods and services. Take health, education, housing and water which could be regarded as the most basic of social goods and services. An examination of the distribution of these would reveal that no ethnic group has been favoured over the other, especially in relation to the two major ethnic groups, the Indians and Blacks.

The examination results showed that success rates at examinations are not skewed in favour of any of the ethnic groups. Our Amerindian children which historically were neglected in terms of the provision of educational services are performing much better today.

The performance gap between hinterland and coastal children are closing year after year, thanks to a more equitable distribution of quality education services in those remote communities.

Guyana has come a far way in terms of addressing inequities in the distributions of social goods even though much more remains to be done. There is freedom of choice as never existed hitherto.

There are more newspapers and television channels to choose from than any time in our history. In terms of our constitution, we are more advanced that most in the region.

Yet, we are not a perfect society as some would wish us to be. In fact, there is no such thing as a perfect society. Some people, out of political and other reasons only focus on our shortcomings and blow every conceivable issue out of proportion.

They are quick to draw parallels with the more industrialized countries without pausing to think that those countries are not without faults even though their institutions and systems, including political and legislative have had centuries of evolution.