As I casually sift through “Marco Polo” Maxwell’s (he signed his article entitled “Christopher Columbus trickery ‘ain’t gonna work’ with youths” as M. Maxwell, so I am assigning Marco Polo as the “M”) August 14, 2011 Kaieteur News article, one thing above all manifests itself painstakingly: this article is essentially an effort to vindictively pronounce clear falsities, or quite simply, malicious hoopla. Mr. Maxwell cannot fool us with misrepresentations, distortions, immaterial analogies and moot conjecture when it is clear that he was not in attendance at the “Impress: Making Our Mark,” Youth Expo on Thursday, August 11, 2011, since he describes “Impress” as “dancing, partying, playing with tech gadgets” despite the fact that any concert activities were postponed to a date to be determined due to our empathy for all religious worship.
As a loyal Guyanese, I frown with disdain upon those who claim to be fellow loyal Guyanese, while simultaneously they consistently attempt, albeit unproductively, to cast doubt on every meritorious, sincere, good-faith effort although such are aimed at noble causes, as here, youth empowerment. How can Mr. Maxwell describe our concern with empowering Guyanese youth as the actions of “shallow men of questionable morality”? This game of dirt slinging that anti-government proponents play to influence the minds of the politically uninformed/under-informed Guyanese populace is a sickening one, and typifies their wanton and reckless approach to politics.
“Impress: Making Our Mark,” was the first of a series of
similarly situated events organized by young Guyanese professionals for the PPP/C which focuses on youth empowerment in general, and not to “fool young people” as Mr. Maxwell would have us believe. The concern underlying “Impress,” as will be with subsequent events, is to alter the historic disregard for young Guyanese in national affairs due to the perception by society that they are politically mute and complacent, as well as to transform the ensuing social stigma attached to such youths due to their political immobility.
In organizing the events that took place at “Impress,” we were cognizant of the fact that youth exposure to dynamic and diverse experiences provides an invaluable avenue for political and social transformation, not only for the specific individual, but for the nation as a whole. We see Guyanese children, adolescents and young adults as the primary vessels and catalysts for future change since they form part of the public with their own unique experiences and as such, are a crucial component of creative contribution and raising awareness in diverse social and cultural settings, and not “as shallow, lacking conviction, easily fooled and willing to sell their souls for anything,” or as “stupid” as Mr. Maxwell conjures up.
The turnout at “Impress” was simply awe-inspiring, with over 5000 in attendance, even prompting us to publicize that others should wait for the next event due to physical and practical considerations. Although there will be subsequent events similar to “Impress,” we have already made huge strides in successfully implementing our mission, that is, to empower the younger generations of Guyanese males and females alike, from various geographic locations and social classes, by equipping them with significant, meaningful knowledge and discourse, indicative of the realities and rigours of adulthood in Guyana, which is ultimately in furtherance of the full realization of their right and power to positively assert their political and social will and which is conducive to both their self-awareness and understanding of competing policy concerns which must be yielded to. These considerations automatically dispel Mr. Maxwell’s absurd notions of “Impress” being “a failed strategy from a failed party.”
At “Impress,” several thousands of interested youths gathered to hear the words of our honourable Ministers, Members of Parliament, our President Bharrat Jagdeo and our next President, Mr. Donald Ramotar which fostered and encouraged our youths’ comprehension of important governmental undertakings, programmes and policies, particularly those which touch and concern their exercise of political and social influence. How can expanding our youths’ knowledge of the realities and rigours of adulthood in Guyana be described as “deceit” or an “insult”? For Mr. Maxwell to describe speeches from these worthy authorities as “useless talk from government hacks” confirms that it is he who is one of the “shallow men” he speaks of.
Everyone then gathered in one of three “breakout sessions”: (1) expanding opportunities for young people in a changing economic environment, facilitated by Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh; (2) transformation and modernization agenda of Guyana, facilitated by Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali; and (3) confronting social and cultural challenges in a diverse society, facilitated by Reverend Kwame Gilbert, M.P. These “breakout sessions” provided our youth with an unbiased, practical and readily accessible forum through which to constructively disseminate their ideas and vent their concerns or request clarification, thereby stimulating the minds of our youth, in an environment of interactivity and user-friendly communication. Mr. Maxwell has a laughably animated imagination in describing “Impress” with words such as “freeness,” “the lure of shiny things,” “sport,” and “fancy looking things” when the crux of “Impress” was meaningful knowledge and discourse.
The “breakout” session facilitated Minister Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, “expanding opportunities for young people in a changing economic environment” elaborated on issues mentioned by Mr. Maxwell in terms of employment, wages, and economic prospects, etc. Dr. Singh’s session received superb feedback from participants, many opining that they were truly grateful for the opportunity to vent their concerns directly to their Minister of Finance.
Consequently, it is excessively insulting for Mr. Maxwell to label “Impress” as “throwing up some tents, a few colourful booths, some floodlights and having some tech gadgets on display.” “Impress” was so much more than a mere social gathering, it was an educational forum dedicated to providing an avenue for political and social discourse and transformation. Moreover, we successfully touched the hearts of all the youth at “Impress” which is why the prevailing sentiment among those in attendance is that they want and need to be part of more similar events throughout Guyana.
“Genuine change,” as Mr. Maxwell speaks of, has and will only come under the PPP/C’s administration of Guyana. That is Guyana’s history and is a fact which is ripe even for judicial notice since it is easily verifiable and not subject to any reasonably objective dispute.
Mr. Maxwell, I leave you with this, since your evaluation of “Impress” is clearly misguided and misplaced. Our purpose in organizing and planning “Impress” was not, as you incorrectly assume, to have youths “run out and vote PPP.” Rather, our narrowly tailored purpose was to empower our youth with meaningful knowledge and broad-based discourse over things that touch and concern their future. We have taken one huge successful leap in that direction and will continue to build upon such, since it is ultimately in furtherance of the benefit of our nation as a whole. While your article and any other such detraction will soon fade from memory, the success of “Impress” and similar, subsequent events will remain intact and will progress.
Respectfully Submitted,