FRAYS and fractions show up everywhere, in every organisation and every society of human beings: people seem prone to disagree, to become disgruntled, and to descend to divisive behaviour.We must face such facts of human nature with wisdom, good sense and empathetic understanding.
Going on to 50 years now, our nation groans under the weight of the political divide that split us into two antagonistic camps when Forbes Burnham broke away from Dr Cheddi Jagan and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to form the People’s National Congress (PNC).
Our nation laments this tragedy every day, in the core of our being. The essential nature of the dynamics of Government-Opposition politics rests on antagonism, opposition and friction. But we’ve got to learn to navigate this slippery slope with deft diplomacy.
We cannot build the Guyanese society into a stable, thriving, progressive and prosperous and peaceful cohesive nation unless we learn to overcome this penchant for dividing ourselves into factions rife with friction, frays and the rhetoric of scapegoating.
In this elections season, we want to put away such defeatist attitudes, and show magnanimity, a spirit of generosity, and an embracing of each other as our nation chooses the Government of the Guyanese people.
President Donald Ramotar shows that he understands this crucial necessity of his leadership of our nation at this hour. And he reaches across divides to invite folks in his efforts at collaboration, cooperation and conscientious togetherness.
In choosing this path, the President focuses his energies on the programmes and projects of Government, on matters of development and propelling the Guyanese society forward.
He constantly talks of the Amaila Hydroelectric project, the modernising of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, the building of a deep water harbour, the stunning success of Government’s housing programme, and other projects.
Yet, much of the President’s leadership in steering the conversation in the country towards development projects and ideas and concepts for Guyana’s continued progress as a fast-developing 21st century society gets drowned out in the noise and clamour and rhetorical rants that passes for public discussion in this country.
So far this elections season, we’ve heard little from leaders of the Opposition on their proposed development projects, or even their development vision and strategy for 21st century Guyana. In fact, the Opposition leaders seem to have taken on more of a watchdog role in the Guyanese nation, rather than initiating and developing ideas, innovative projects and creative solutions to the human problems we encounter.
We want to hear from Opposition Leader, Brigadier David Granger, of his development strategy and his core ideas for our nation. We want to hear Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo and Nigel Hughes and the others regale us with their vision for Guyana. All they seem to do is cuss Government and point to allegations of corruption, and threaten to jail Government officials. How would that harsh rhetoric of revenge and vengeance build Guyana and contribute to constructive engagement?
What ideas do they propose to reform the Public Service and stem the critical skills shortage that stifles Government? What new solutions do they propose to develop our hydroelectric potential and open up the hinterland and continue the housing revolution that we enjoy today? What’s their socio-economic plan for education, health, and GDP growth? How would they sustain the nine years of consecutive GDP growth Guyanese enjoy today?
This kind of national discussion, and street corner talks this elections season, would inspire, transform and lift the conversation in the land.
Despite some over-zealous pro-Government activists descending to the same antagonistic, myopic public behaviour, we must take our cue from how President Ramotar conducts his public conversation: he talks of projects, ideas and initiatives, and he calls for the nation to work together to propel Guyana into a progressive nation.
We hope everyone, from Government and his Party, and from the Opposition, would follow his example. Our nation direly cries out for excellence of leadership at this hour, after three years of Guyanese feeling their Parliament descend into a verbal warzone.
President Ramotar rose above the frays and fractions as the 10th Parliament spiraled into self-humiliation. And today, he works with passionate energy to knit the various communities together, exercising diplomatic finesse and a depth of leadership character that we should recognise as a gift to this nation.
It would serve Brigadier Granger well to cultivate a close working relationship with the President, to seek an audience with him every so often, to open a line of dialogue between them. These two hold together key constituencies in the country, and both exercise leadership skills to keep their camps in unity and unison.
We’ve got to employ a deliberate strategy to overcome this 50-year old habit we’ve developed to divide ourselves, to scapegoat each other, and to avoid making the effort it takes to bring Guyanese hearts and minds together.
Instead of this attitude, we see the Opposition treat President Ramotar’s Government with disdain, disrespect and dishonour.
Instead of showing respect and honouring the Office of the President, they seem determined to play a narrow watchdog role, constantly harping on rampant corruption in the Public Service (while ignoring the massive entrenched corruption in the Private Sector), and bent on attacking personalities sympathetic to the cause of Government. Attacking folks like Bharrat Jagdeo and others does nothing positive for our nation, and in fact serves the cause of demotivating, demoralising and depressing Guyanese.
Bharrat Jagdeo’s public activities come in for severe criticisms, with an almost obsessive paranoia from his critics, and this gets plastered across the national media.
And the State media can do more to follow President Ramotar’s lead, instead of seeking to adopt a reactive role, rather than a proactive role in defining the national conversation and showcasing the vision of our President to construct a vision-based, idea-drive public space, where the Guyanese people would discuss the merits of the airport expansion and the Amaila Hydro project, rather than steam in sleaze, slander and insults, obsessed with Jagdeo’s house, for example.
The attractive thing for those who spout oppositional watchdog views is that the national media laps it up with juvenile glee, regurgitating the emotive and irrational soundbites in the quest for satisfying the public’s base appetite for sleaze, slander and insults.
So we see an uneasy symbiotic partnership between powerful media houses and crass critics who contribute nothing to this nation but sleaze, slander and insults.
And this damages the national psyche, and frustrates President Ramotar’s leadership in cultivating a clean, healthy public discourse. If there’s one leader who takes on this atmosphere of frays and friction and fractions, and seeks to transform it into a united, knitted oneness, it’s the President.
It’s a grave pity that he’s so misunderstood, and seen as weak. His strength is so innovative and new, that we can’t seem to understand this new paradigm of a Guyanese President who seeks collaboration and cooperation. We welcomed it with Dr. Cheddi Jagan, but we don’t even recognise it in President Ramotar.
Opposition Leader David Granger could bring his own leadership to the table, and showcase to the Guyanese people that he is astute, capable and willing to build a collaborative working relationship with the President, even as they head to the polls. The Opposition Leader has had to battle his own frays, frictions and fractions within his Party, and so he must know how debilitating such fights could be. With such experience, he should make the effort to heal the frays and fractions that bedevil our national public space.
By Shaun Michael Samaroo
