OVERSEAS-based Guyanese Paul Tennassee last month advised that with financial backing from another US-based Guyanese, Floyd Haynes, he has launched a think-tank organisation called The Roraima Institute (TRI).Demerara Waves reported the intent of TRI is to influence policy-makers through best practices of other countries and original findings, utilising the collaborative skills of Guyanese, at home and in the diaspora. Tennassee is no stranger to Guyanese politics. He was the leader of a political party and played a role in the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy, which represented an amalgamation of political parties and individuals in the 1980s to bring about electoral reform. His presence comes after a notable absence from local politics for more than two decades.

In the intervening years Guyana has seen challenges in its governance structures, political discord, the nation ranking the most corrupt in the English-speaking Caribbean by Transparency International, mismanagement of the state’s money and disregard for accounting principles as presented in the Auditor General Reports, testy race relations, the rule of law assailed in the presence of a parallel economy that operated in broad daylight, turf wars and death squads, where citizens came to rely on countries such as Trinidad and the United States to deliver justice.

There have been allegations of inequities in the society, some of which are not without merit. Where other nations would have imploded Guyanese by virtue of our resilience have withstand in the conviction that better must come. Should our institutions of government and the management of the State see determined commitment and will on the part of all, most notably the political leadership, navigating the proverbial ship back into safe waters where the horizon beckons is doable.

The recognition of these major setbacks for the period under review does not deny that there have been some positive movements such as in road infrastructures, REDD, schools construction and the initial Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act. Ignoring these facts would be hypocritical and self-serving. Too long our politics and the people have been held hostage to the simplistic good/bad binary. This is dependent on whose party held/holds the reins of government or who is speaking about whom or which party, when reality is complex and have nuances, and when acknowledged would enhance public discourse.

This is the environment the TRI will find and arguably democracy is much more complex than the touted free and fair elections. In addition to elections being considered free and fair-though it cannot be ignored, the 1997 vitiation, 2006 court challenge and misappropriate awarding of parliamentary seat- equally important is that it must also be free from fair and the vote must translate not only to an expression of will, but also the safeguarding of the individual’s right, including opportunities for advancement.

Where Guyanese continue to experience socio-economic challenges, and where attention to these should be primarily driven by qualitative decision-making, think-tanks are important repositories in aiding the process. The society, domestic and external, has become more complex. In this complexity there remains limited resources and ensuring that these are distributed in a manner that can bring about the best yield, scientific formulation is helpful.
Where persons, given the array of disciplines, can combine their diverse talent to influence national policy making, and where the proposed feedback from the grassroots will be driven by direct interaction and through scientific polls, decision-making could be better informed. Guyanese are known for their oral culture. The average man in the street has an opinion on what is taking place in governance and would passionately represent it, and thinks his view should be factored in. This is all well and good, because as citizens such involvement is important in protecting and strengthening systems of democracy. Where polling of opinions will form part of TRI’s modus operandi, in adhering to scientific model, it can reveal a more representative landscape of the people’s wishes and by extent of their input.

Given the competitive nature of our people, it is hoped that TRI will enthuse persons to get involved and others to form liked organisation, with specific interests. In the information/knowledge driven era and with multiplicities of disciplines, including ideologies and room for bi-partisanship, structured extrapolations that would bring to bear from these factors will not only improve the body politics but also the role of the people in the process. And may it be said that the think-tank approach to decision-making will be bringing Guyana into the 21st century and it is better late than never.