THE New Year has just begun and already we are seeing the absurdity of political propositions and arguments bandied around by seemingly intelligent, but washed up political wannabes.
Terms like nacro-state, dictatorship, criminalised state, failed state, etc, all of which lack the application of basic common sense, or are steeped in a kind of hypocrisy and double standard that challenge any rational mind, seem to be quite fashionable.

It is quite amusing to see how these people place value on sounding assured and confident and how they reward themselves for stating opinions which they expect others to believe and embrace as facts.

Unfortunately, like a thief in the night, egos slither forward to occupy center stage. Subtle changes are brought about – from being people centered to ego centered and from empathy to arrogance.

It chinks away at our armour of decency and tolerance, and distance us from our morality and the very people in whose name we purport to act. We develop a deep aversion to listen to anyone who expresses new, different or challenging positions.

When we attempt to listen to others, it is just long enough to determine the intersecting point of argument that may confirm out positions.

In this increasingly complex world, it is impossible to see for ourselves most of what is going on irrespective of our assumption to knowledge. To see more of this complexity is to be inclusive. It means involving others and dropping likes, dislikes and most of all assumptions of entitlements, status and authority.

It means asking others for their perspectives and experience knowing fully well that we are opening ourselves to differing, maybe equally viable visions, some of which will have the emotional energy to rock our comfort zones. It means embracing diversity with all its discomforts.

As we open ourselves to differences and if we are receptive enough, sometimes we discover that another person’s way of interpreting the world is necessary for our progress and development, even our survival.

Being challenged doesn’t mean we are wrong, inferior or someone is out to embarrass us, though all of the above can be true. Whether it is so or not, it is the assumption of truth which triggers our defense mechanism and which plays on our ego and pride.

Cleaving to any foregone or premature conclusion based on dogmatic approaches never serves us well. There must be some truth in both sides of any argument. And therein is a magnificent opportunity for a new beginning. Competing interests however, disallow us from seeing this, and from recognising our focus is becoming increasingly narrower. We see differences to the point where we are unable to understand our multi-faceted problems from an inter-disciplinary perspective.
For us to move forward, we must drop our prejudices, humongous egos, pride, vanity, self-interests and penchant for conclusion, and seek that common link from which we can proceed for our mutual benefit.
Admittedly, in the present adversarial political context this may be in the realms of wishful thinking. Given the often diverse and clandestine interest involved, it may be tantamount to calling for a dialogue of the dumb, deaf and blind!
But herein is the contradiction. Today, perhaps more than anytime, we need to collectively find common grounds for solutions to our multifaceted and interconnected problems, even if it means challenging long held concepts and re-examining old prejudices and conclusions. Too much is at stake. Guyana has made remarkable developmental strides. We cannot afford any reversal of our fortunes. Leadership on all sides of the political divide must be held accountable by the people. Not to themselves or little self-serving enclaves of power baptised committees, but to the real people in whose names decisions are made.
History is replete with examples of sides purporting to struggle for the people while in their names they brought death and destruction on the same people by setting them against each other. We have seen the end results. Disagreements! Demands! Inflamed rhetoric! Threats to violence! People are incited. We see violence, destruction, murder and mayhem followed by a ‘supervised’ round of negotiation, as if we are undeveloped ‘hard headed’ and backwards adolescents.
After all the mayhem and destruction, compromise is found; something that could have been achieved before the conflagration. Yet, we hold our heads high and strut in bigoted arrogance. Within the political context we have made our existence relevant. We have created the conditions that will ensure our continued existence and relevance. Whether it be on the ashes of our own dead, a rapture of the national psyche or retrogressive human development, it matters not. Our personal and partisan interests prevail.
Pre-conceived, entrenched and hardened postures are the precursors to failure and violence. Ideas and honourable intentions surreptitiously transform as the issue mutates from solutions to personalities, superiority and triumphalism. The analytical framework is more often positioned within the context of past experiences.
As a consequence, most of the battles are fought on the grounds of past experiences, past hurt, past grievances and suspicions and not on what opportunities are presently availing themselves in this moment!
While the past is an ideal background to develop a perspective of history and a sense of origin, it cannot realistically lead to any real solutions. It is a bone yard of history defined by past circumstances, past conditions and past realities, all of which cannot be replicated with the same degree of exactness. Whatever linkages are there, they must be approached in the context of today’s realities. Not the past! Not the future, but the present! When we allow the past to cloud our judgment by infusing anger, resentment, prejudice and hatred, it becomes nothing more than a failure on our part to grasp this fundamental truth.
We become victims of past circumstances which render us unsuitable for present leadership. Unless we are determined to go beyond the barriers of partisanship, we’ll never understand that there is no one race or people that is guilty. We are all in this thing together. Either we swim together or sink together. Simple!
Quite often we speak about continuity, about looking into the past which will inform the future. But how much of the past have we allowed to destroy the present? Have we really used the past as a mechanism to positively enhance the present in a way that has positioned us nearer to our collective goals? As much as we would like to answer in the positive as a way of bolstering our collective conscience, we know that is tantamount to self-delusion. We are simply lying to ourselves and others of our own kind who are latched on to our way of thinking, those whom we have made clones of ourselves. This is precisely the reason why we are failing so miserably – romanticising with our past ‘glories’ while destroying our present legacy.