By Ravin Singh
THE government must seek to expunge corruption as a matter of priority and to show its willingness to do so it must act against those found guilty in state agencies, political activist Dr David Hinds said Tuesday.Dr Hinds is an executive member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) party, which is part of the governing coalition.
He said that those responsible for corruption, as cited in recent forensic audit reports, must be held accountable.
Failure to do so, he contended, “will make a mockery of democracy and will further institutionalise corruption in the society.”
Dr Hinds was speaking at a WPA symposium to mark the 36th death anniversary of Dr Walter Rodney, the renowned historian and political activist. Dr Rodney, a fierce opponent of the government of then President Forbes Burnham, died in an explosion just outside the Camp Street prison June 13, 1980.
Dr Hinds focused much of his presentation on Guyana’s history and detailed expectations which he believed will propel Guyana in a progressive way.
He said that the change of government in May 2015 did not bring along the expected change in behaviour of the state and he warned against the State apparatus being “used against the people.” On this note, he pointed to the recent removal of vendors around the Stabroek Market and the way in which they were treated by the Georgetown City Council.
Further, to move Guyana forward, he said a multi-ethnic movement is needed both at the national and grassroots level.
“We have to find a way to bring our people together,” he said, adding that other multi-ethnic countries have found creative ways to bring people together and harness their energies. He acknowledged that this is no easy task, but he pointed to the fact that Suriname, Kenya and Zimbabwe have all recorded some amount of success in this regard.
Going forward too, he noted that there the push for foreign direct investment must be balanced with building capacity domestically.
“We’ve spent a lot of energies on attracting foreign investment, but we have not spent enough in investing in a policy to recruit our people in the building of our country,” Dr. Hinds said.
The fifth issue he highlighted was the need for constitutional reform, which, according to him, must not only be approached from the top. He suggested that there must be fundamental changes to local governance.
Dr. Hinds explained that there is a sense that elections could transform the local government system, but he is of an opposing conviction.
“I think that we have to have fundamental transformation in the local system, because I think that is the engine of governance,” he said.
Finally, he examined that need to re-invest in education in Guyana, which, according to him, is critical to the development of the country. Dr. Hinds expressed the view that Caribbean societies have been able to use education as a means of lifting the poor and giving hope to them.
“When that mother or father who had to drop out of school can see his or her child with degrees speaking with authority, then it says that is where the hope of our future lies,” he stated.