I pen these few lines with utmost disgust and disappointment in our political system and its use of the tool of racism as a fuel or driver of political gain. Personally, as a Guyanese youth growing up in Linden, I would have known and seen racism and the use of race by the two major political parties, the PPP and the PNC. But in today’s era of politics, my question is still yet to be answered. Why is it still important in this modern era for us to fuel race based politics to our constituents? What’s it to gain but looking back at the ills of the PPP or the PNC, and directing the young people to vote for futuristic ideas embedded in the past? What are they telling us young people, that the future of our country is based perpetually on a history of social ills? I beg to differ.

As someone very fortunate to have a decent upbringing in a multi ethnic family, my point of view for Guyana is different. Make no mistake; I have heard it all, about the social ills and witnessed the parties at work destroying our nation’s reserves and impoverishment of my fellow Guyanese. Somewhere along the lines of my higher education I had embraced a new vision and sense of what’s it like to be a  Guyanese.

I remember living in Washington DC, a vast metropolis with a plethora of races, cultures and lifestyles. Interactions with my school mates from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America. I realized that we are not different at all. There is actually more that binds us in grit, determination and prosperity, than anything else. As a student of history, I spent expansive time learning my residence here in the  United States has come a long way in terms of creating equal opportunities for all of us minorities, of which our Guyanese people have benefited greatly. It still behooves us to wonder how we tackle the racial issues of Guyana and what’s the pathway for youth engagement and participation without racial prejudice or “jumbies” of the past recurring.

I have a tremendous opportunity to meet people from most of the regions in Guyana. And from our  discussions from Corriverton to New Amsterdam, Linden to Lethem and Supenaam to Charity, men and women, both young and old, want to see a change in Guyana; but they don’t want race to be the fuel or driver of such. My proposed recommendations to curb these issues are simple and not far-fetched.

From the leadership of our parties right down, we need to move to more inclusive ideas of the future and not reverting to the past. This will help keep us youths focused on improving the way of life and creating better outcomes among the people. The era for race- based politics is over. If our politicians are cognizant of the fact that most of the voting population will be under the age of 38, they would realise that this group of people does not care about the social ills of history of the PPP and PNC. We youths care about GUYANA. We want to hear what’s in it for us in all 82,000 square feet, stretching across 10 regions set among three major rivers. We youths want to hear about a National Youth Strategy/ Policy that will address higher education, advancement of healthcare, economic development and social responsibility among the youth. What if our politicians and other civil like- minded individuals shift the conversation to address youth policies on development, rather than educating us on the social ills and racist ways of the opposition parties. I call for all our young people to join me in this conversation. It’s not always about politics or scoring over the opponent. It’s about how we can further address the national agenda and interests of our country.

COLLIN HAYNES, MPH