A COMMUNITY is the product of citizens who reside within.  What shapes and identifies it is recognition and appreciation of the unique collective culture which includes the way residents do things ; the demographics; established structures and infrastructure; socio-economic status and/preference; and value systems and interaction within the fold. Basically a community is a cohesive unit which is welded together by common strands and respect for each other, inclusive of their diversity.

While there may exist commonalities in communities across the country, there will always be something unique in each village or district. This can be seen from our historical development where citizens, for instance on the Essequibo Coast, tend towards agricultural economic pursuits, Georgetown commerce and service, and Linden technical and mining orientation.

Communities’ growth and development are dependent on the vision, passion and involvement of their citizens, which will inform their conceptualisation and development of programmes and activities for their benefit. The success of any task is dependent on ownership by the people, inclusive of the leadership they identity to realise it. The greater the involvement of the citizenry in any community in birthing their ideas for their development, the easier these are assimilated, worked upon and vested interest is felt in ensuring success, maintenance, and future development.

The village movement that was birthed out of the post-emancipation period, where a people, to ensure their existence, human dignity and equality pursued, what has arguably remained a potent model for community development in post-slavery societies. The strength of the village movement is still alive. It is the undercurrent/base of an economic model in our tri-sector economy (the cooperative movement) and informed the local government structure which have touched every sector of development in this society and also informed the naming of our country, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

The cooperative spirit identifies a common trend of working together, inclusive of acknowledging and supporting diverse pursuits, for personal and national growth and development. It underpins our motto of ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’ and the value upon which independent Guyana is built. The experiences of the immediate post-emancipation era and that of local government boundary demarcation not only stand out for the villages that were bought and desire to forge cohesive relations, but notably the spirit, vision, drive and strategy that imbued the people to succeed. And while these experiences happened long ago what ought not to be lost sight of is the innate desire to enjoy the right to self-determination which is timeless and which is the essence of human development.

Among man’s basic desires is one of having a say in determining what happens in his/her life, primarily in the home and immediate surroundings. Imposition by the colonial masters of district commissioners and community development officers, with blueprints of what they considered to be development for communities, violated this. The negative net result was such imposition subdued, and in some cases destroyed, the collective spirit and determination in villages and communities.

Having had these negative experiences, it augurs well when such is used in determining how the future should be treated with. That local government elections will be held next month for the second time after being absent for two decades is a welcome move to continue reigniting the spirit of community by allowing the opportunity for residents to elect their leaders. This is a right that had been denied since 1997. Putting power back in the hands of the people would allow for each and every group the opportunity to commence their programme of rebuilding, based on indigenous resources, needs and visions. This focus also will be consistent with the spirit and intent of local government as enshrined in Article 71 (1) of the Guyana Constitution, which made clear that, “Local government is a vital aspect of democracy and shall be organized, so as to involve as many people as possible in the task of managing and developing the communities in which they live.”

Citizens are urged to recognise the importance of local government to their well-being by getting involved and electing leaders who can best work with them in the development of their community. Ultimately, community development is the responsibility of the people within the community. That local government is a vehicle that can be used for the attainment of the community’s goals ought to be made maximum use of. Its net positive result for Guyana can realise a greater sense of nationhood through the building of communities based on each community’s unique dreams and aspirations.