— the PNCR holds symposium to reminisce and ruminate

By M Margaret Burke

“I WOULD say that what we are seeing in Guyana is the evolution of our political system, but I am disappointed at the kind of responses we are seeing in the media, where people who should know better – lawyers and leaders of organisations, are deliberately distorting the realities of what I would call the ‘constitutional crisis’ that we now face.”

“And really the correct approach, in my opinion, should be an open mind by all of us to let the courts do their jobs; and the courts are the final arbiters – it’s no point with us trying to force decisions. Every litigant is entitled to get his full representation in court; a person is entitled to go to the Court of Appeal, and they are entitled to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)”, Former Peoples’ National Congress Reform Leader, Robert Corbin, told the Guyana Chronicle in an exclusive interview at the PNCR symposium, which was held at the National Library in Georgetown on Wednesday.

Mr. Corbin is a lawyer, businessman, farmer, and politician.

THE CONSTITUTION
He said that the issue that people are now ‘tinkering’ with is not just the APNU/AFC in office, but with the lines of the whole of Guyana, “where thousands of people have voted for a government and if one is to curtail the life of that government which was guaranteed for five years, that it must ensure that all the ‘dots and t’s according to the constitution are crossed.”

Further, he stated that if there is a discrepancy or a misunderstanding, the courts must be given the opportunity to fully ventilate the issue before conclusions are made.

It is Corbin’s hope that persons who seem to think that the government, which represents hundreds of thousands of people who voted in the last election, would have a right to represent those interests, by getting proper clarifications from the courts. He added that it is his hope as well that the government move in that direction.

96TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
“Today being the 96th birth anniversary of Mr. Burnham, I think that Guyana still owes him a deep debt of gratitude for the significant contributions he made to this country….his critics as well as his admirers agree on several things and disagree on many, but I think that there is no doubt that as we look around this country, the amount of monuments that are there, are still reminding us of his great contributions,” Mr. Corbin apprised.

He pointed out that commencing with the Soesdyke/Linden Highway; the Demerara Habour Bridge; the MMA schemes; the many complete housing schemes and infrastructural works; the monuments of national unity; the ethnic and religious holidays which Guyanese enjoy; the promotion of racial and ethnic harmony, and many more, are some of the things that he says, “…commence with and are still reflective of the vision of Forbes Burnham for the better development of this country,” adding that he believes that the former president is a ‘true patriot’ and on this particular day all Guyanese should reflect on his significant contributions.

SHAPING THE YOUNG
Corbin, who briefly reflected on his own life, stated he was thankful for the opportunities granted to him to be molded in the correct ways, with the help of Mr. Burnham. He feels as though that is one of the things lacking in society at this time.
“…Yes, there is work to be done and if you ask me why this is happening, I would say that there is work for all of us to do, especially in molding our young people. And I do not blame our youth, I blame those of us who have not done the preparation so that they can automatically fit in”, he posited.

He said that his era has passed and the strategies that were used then are not necessarily applicable now, noting that he is not one of those people who would say that he has all the answers. Adding that there were far less facilities such as the Internet, Netflix and Google, and all the other devices and amenities of today; the young people of his time, he said, still felt a lot of motivation and were very much encouraged to make the best of their lives, assuring the gathering that because of such, he has been able to achieve a lot of his successes.

POLITICALLY OR OTHERWISE
Corbin informed that the only entertainment the young people of his time were privy to, was a football game or some good cricket or a little film show – if that was available, “…So that a lot of the activities for young people then – politically or otherwise – were seen as a main attraction, so to speak, and people were glad to be associated with a youth movement that had things to do.”

He said that the competition now starts with the smart phone and all the other attractions or distractions. He therefore urged young people to devise what relevant tools or mechanisms could be most appropriately used to mobilise their comrades, and at the same time collaborate with the country’s leadership.

He therefore urged that, “much more time and energies should be made available to the young people of Guyana, and where plans are already in place they should be well informed of them.”