LET me, from the outset, make it pellucid that I have no interest in the internal decision-making mechanism of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU); nor do I have any intention of challenging same. What I have is a profound difficulty with the way young Member of Parliament, Vanessa Kissoon was treated at the last sitting of the House.Ms. Vanessa Kissoon is a sitting member of the National Executive Committee of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM), youth arm of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and a Member of Parliament for seven years. Thus, by virtue or her office, she should have been granted, at the minimum, the common courtesy of being notified of the change in her seating arrangement.
What is even more disgusting is the deafening silence of the GYSM National Chairman, who is also a member of the august assembly and, by extension, the executive of the GYSM. This, to my mind, gives tacit support to the crude and disrespectful treatment of young people.
If this is the manner in which the political leadership will be treating the young people of the party and, more so, of Guyana, then the youths of this country have a lot of rethinking to do. It is time for youths of this country to demand equal treatment, and be seen as equal partners at the decision-making table.
I wish to say, without fear of contradiction, that at no time during my tenure in the GYSM, and that of my predecessors that such level of repugnance would have been tolerated. Thus an unequivocal apology must be demanded from the chief whip and the intellectual authors of the decision forthwith.
Written By Bevon Currie
Youth Activist and former GYSM National Secretary