THE PREMIERE YOUTH MOVEMENT IN GUYANA ATTRACTING OPPOSITION IRE

THE Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) is the premiere youth movement in Guyana, so obviously it will attract the ire of opposition elements.

Old Kai offers his congratulations to all the youths of the Progressive Youth Organisation for their hard work in rejuvenating the youth arm of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

The PYO has a very long history in representing various causes in our country; however, over the past three years, I have observed a marked increase in PYO presence all across our country. If it’s any of the religious holidays, its members are there participating; just recently, they hosted several successful kite-flying competitions across the coastland on Easter Monday.

They have participated in the Diwali motorcades, and their creativity has been recognized by the judges for the past two consecutive years.

During the Christmas holidays, they were Carolling with the First Lady and President Donald Ramotar at State House, among other activities.

In sports, they continue to host several competitions, most notably the Cheddi Jagan Softball Cricket Tournament; and, in 2012/2013, they launched the annual Dr. Walter Rodney Cricket Competition.

They have been the leading youth organisation participating in the nationwide ‘Pick It Up’ anti-littering campaign launched by the Ministry of Natural Resources, and I think it is time they were recognized for their efforts with an award, if this has not already been done.

Visiting and giving a facelift to old people’s homes; feeding the homeless; engaging in community self-help work, including a commendable nationwide pedestrian road crossing painting exercise every year, and community movie nights are just some of the many activities they are engaged in.

Just recently, they took centre stage in a walk and ceremony to raise awareness of autism and the children affected by it in Guyana.

That aside, they are also very conscious politically, and they have supported the PPP on several major issues via media engagements, other public forums, and picketing exercises. Their sheer numbers outside of Parliament on more than one occasion over the past few years have sent such shivers in the opposition camp that they were forced to send out their goon squads to harass and intimidate these youths.

This much was caught on video during their picket exercise against the opposition efforts to cut funding for the Amaila Falls Hydro Project. But the PYO persevered!

No other youth organization has aggressively represented such diverse issues, and has been this active over the past few years. The PYO is giving youths a voice in Guyana, and for this the organisation must be commended.

However, being the premiere youth organization in our country also has its expected down sides. The PYO popularity has evoked the ire and clearly some amount of envy from the opposition camp.

Instinctively, minions from the opposition camp have been increasingly focusing on the work of the PYO with the aim of trying to cast them in a negative light.
But how can you attack good deeds? So they have moved instead to try and paint the PYO as selectively focusing on issues in society.

It is puerile to expect any organization to focus on all the issues in society, but let us humour the opposition. Their concern is that the youth movement has not staged a picketing exercise for the 15-year-old who was allegedly shot in his mouth by a police rank. This much is being perpetuated on the social media by the apparent president for life of the Guyana Depressed Association.

But this should not be seen as an attack, even if in their eyes it is. Without thinking, they are in essence recognizing the premiership of the PYO in representing issues, as they have chosen to ignore those youth organizations that they are sympathetic to, such as the GYSM and whatever youth arm the AFC has on paper.

Even the GHRA has apparently remained silent on the issue, but that is not the point. Following the incident, the police high command visited the youth’s mother and assured that the issue would go through the investigative process, and where charges are necessary, they will be instituted. We are told that, a few days later, immediately after being discharged, the youth, his mother and some others staged a picketing exercise calling for the accused rank to be charged swiftly. They want justice!

Fair enough, but what occurred afterwards diluted the cause, as it appeared that certain elements have seized the opportunity to once again use an issue to pursue their interests; as we are told that after the picketing exercise, the mother went to the Commissioner’s Office to enquire about the status of the investigation, and was upset to be informed that the official was in a meeting.

Here it is: Old Kai always thought that logically you would go first inquire, and if not satisfied, then picket; but it was the other way around. Bear in mind we have not heard the other side of the story, as thus far we are only privy to one side. Old Kai wants justice, but I would prefer to understand the entire issue before I commit myself, especially after the experience of the Colwyn Harding debacle, where many rose up in condemnation, after which evidence, including medical reports, pointed in another direction.

Justice cannot be fast-tracked; which is why I am surprised to find some who, on one hand, call for ‘good governance’ and ‘professional approach to policing’, but on the other hand are now calling for a ‘hurry-hurry wuk by the police to charge the accused’, without even knowing the full details. They criticize the police for abandoning guiding protocols, and then, on the other hand, encourage the police to abandon established protocols to give them ‘swift justice’.

They cannot have it both ways; which brings me back to the PYO and their mature approach to the issue. By waiting on the full details, and understanding that the police must be given time to do their job unhindered, they have displayed the maturity which we have come to expect of them.

The same cannot be said for the handful who picketed on the very issue on Monday, May 12. Some of the usual suspects were there, confirming my earlier assumption.
But, interestingly, there was a young woman who is obviously intelligent but seems more overcome in searching for acceptance within her crew. I am informed that the lady is a blogger, and has written on race relations and against efforts at stereotyping. Good for her, but why in heaven’s name would she turn up with a sari and all the trappings at a picket line, and indicate that her attire was to make a statement and encourage Indo-Guyanese to come out and participate in such activities?

Old Kai was never aware that East Indians were identified by a sari. Is this not an act of stereotyping? But, alas, it appears that some of us can afford to have separate consciences while these very individuals are more than eager to point out the flaws in others.

As for the PYO, I omitted to mention earlier that they have also taken up regional and international issues, and the fact that they were the first to seriously provide impetus locally towards adding our voices to the international outrage against Boko Haram kidnapping of school girls in Nigeria and threatening to sell them as sex slaves.

I must also commend our Head of State, President Donald Ramotar, who has joined in raising awareness of the need to rescue the victims.

In an earlier column, I had highlighted my presence at a function to honour the late Venezuelan revolutionary leader, President Hugo Chavez, and I was impressed with the PYO participation. I look forward to seeing more and more activities from these youths.