President Donald Ramotar has indeed proved his worth to the Guyanese people by his words, actions and deeds. He has been a very busy person for the first three months he has served this nation so far as Chief Executive.
His leadership quality is a touch of class which is a far departure from the styles of most of his predecessors. Of course, these are qualities that are demanded of a leader especially when prevailing political situations are so precariously poised, like the Guyana situation in which we have a hung parliament, the first in the history of this country.
His approach in tackling the cumbersome tasks of governance so far has been par excellence, and the people believe that if he continues in this vein, he could very well succeed in knitting this nation into a multi-purpose unit in which every citizen could be equal to the task of building this country, an accomplishment that no other leader of Guyana was able to achieve.
Rising from the depths of the mighty Essequibo River, President Donald Ramotar, a man of simplicity, has already started winning the hearts of the Guyanese people, even adversaries.
Those who have followed his activities so far would speak about the man’s extraordinary patience in listening to the people, which was indeed the hallmark of the first “successful” meeting of the National Stakeholders Forum which was held recently.
Here it is difficult for anyone to escape epitomising the man with the words of Saint Basil: “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost. He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gets love.”
We recall the National Stakeholders Forum in which none of the more than 100 participants came out with a dissenting view. It is remarkable when people of the likes of Norris Witter of the Guyana Trades Union Congress and Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram among others could come out of the Forum with expressions of satisfaction and confidence. This is undoubtedly a great start towards hearing concerns of the people, and making collaborative efforts in addressing these very concerns of national importance.
In the words of Norris Witter: “…I think it (Stakeholders Forum) is a commendable beginning, and we are prepared to, as I said, to work. We have placed on the table our commitment to work with all the stakeholders, including the government, in the furtherance of development in Guyana.”
And this is what Christopher Ram had to say following the Forum: “…I think the president has a very positive approach, he is a great listener, he can rise above party politics…and I think he showed he is prepared to listen to all the views;… I am sure if we can keep this pattern of consultation going, then Guyana will be the total winner…”
There is no doubt that these two gentlemen who are famous in their own right, are no sweethearts of the current government. Yet, they were impressed with the manner in which President Ramotar and his ministers in attendance handled the discussions. This was a sure way to start as it left no room for disenchantment among stakeholders who have expressed their desire for follow-up meetings with the President.
President Ramotar himself is upbeat about the forum, saying: “I think it was a very healthy forum, we got a lot of information and a lot of exchanges. We are going to put what we can into practice, and we are going to continue this forum, and make it more on a sectoral basis to focus attention.”
There are no ifs or buts about it. Both sides have come out winners for all the people of this country.   Our politicians of the past lacked this kind of collaborative approach in dealing with matters of national concerns. The absence of this approach has led to great fractures in our society in the past.
Now, although President Ramotar is perceived to be a lone ranger in the reparatory struggle, he will come out on top for all the people of this country.