IT was very re-assuring, and very pertinent, that President Donald Ramotar, while addressing a packed National Park gathering on the occasion of commemorating the nation’s 46th Independence Anniversary, emphasized that with “political will and trust Guyana can achieve its true potential.”
It cannot be too much to over-emphasize the timeliness of this particular reminder, coming at a time of the gravest peril facing the nation, as the political opposition parties, because of their one seat majority in a newly configured Parliament, seeks to bully the Executive into unreasonable demands.
Already, because of not acquiescing to these, hefty cuts totalling some $22B have not only threatened vital socio-economic programmes such as the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), but also the jobs of employees of the pivotal state media GINA and NCN, sections of the Executive, and the Ethnic Relations Committee (ERC).
That all this has happened in the Tenth Parliament thus far, is very much surprising, given these two parties bold declaration of cooperation with the PPP/C administration, the new parliamentary realities, and the positive role that they as responsible political parties will be required to play in the future progress of the nation.
As President Ramotar unambiguously declared: “Leaders of the country must display maturity by putting the interest of the country and people first, as opposed to self-interest”; in addition to cooperation being the key for the realization of all the nation’s dreams.
How many times must both opposition party leaders be reminded of this sacred national obligation? Do they really need to be? Not when they would have espoused such intentions during their individual election campaigns.
Both of these leaders must be reminded as to what are expected of them in capacities of leadership. Beginning with what it is not.
National leadership is not about dangerous power play and grandstanding that will precipitate a series of consequences, which many times once unleashed, becomes uncontrollable and destructive in the process.
It is not also about misrepresenting national issues to their constituents, leading to false perceptions and expectations. The Parliamentary balance sheet, representative of the actions of these two parties, reflect these very anti-national and opportunistic behaviour patterns.
Leadership of the type enunciated by the President is about rising to the highest level of one’s unswerving dedication to national service, and a commitment to lead honestly even when the odds may threaten. It is about, regardless of political ideology/social affiliation/constituents’ concerns, having the honesty of one’s truthful conviction to make the right decisions in accordance with the national will, which must be for its social and economic longevity.
Therefore, party leaders must understand that their role is more than being the head of a group of persons or an organisation.
Given the present circumstances that the nation now faces, it is only leadership of the sort, described above, that will engender and create a genuine environment, conducive for trust and dialogue that will move this country from the precipice on which it now perches. President Ramotar has been providing leadership of that calibre, and it is for the opposition leaders to rise to such a mutual level for a better Guyana.
History can only record that they rose to the best interests of the nation.