GUYANESE wake up today, post-Budget 2021, to the start of a new, exciting era for their nation, with President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, giving real teeth to the national motto of One People, One Nation, One Destiny, in his announcement of the One Guyana Commission, and with that credo now entrenched in the National Budget with projects, programmes and plans to develop every corner of the country, and to make sure every Guyanese benefit from the new future government is opening up, and that finds its function in the proposed commission, an initiative that the Head of State announced on Friday in his inaugural address to Parliament. Despite a few naysayers, who voice their narrow-minded views seeking to stir up unhealthy divisive sentiments in sub-group segments of the society, this country is actually an outstanding shining light on the world stage for multiculturalism, national togetherness, tolerance of religious, political, ethnic, and different views and beliefs, and a great example of a multifaceted society functioning as one nation. In fact, Guyana is the only country in the world that recognises the main religious holidays of Christians, Hindus and Muslims as national holidays, an astonishing world record, which shows respect for the faith community across every strata of religious identity.

These characteristics of the Guyanese nation, the State would do well to highlight and emphasise, on the local scene so citizens are aware and conscious of the essence of their outstanding national way of being, and on the international scene through the embassies and high commissions, to showcase Guyana as a multicultural example to the global village. For example, Canada hypes its national identity as one of the world’s most multicultural country in the world, but any Guyanese who is familiar with the Canadian society would know that Guyana’s multiculturalism is second to none, with school children, for example, easily commingling and mixing with each other with easy tolerance and togetherness. This country’s perceived ethnoracial differences show up only at elections time and this historical schism in the body politic appears to be the opposing camps of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC), and the People’s National Congress (PNC). Every third party promotes itself as bridging this perceived divide. However, instead of framing this schism as an ethnoracial problem, it might be fruitful to see it as actually one of the City of Georgetown and Region Four gravitating mostly to vote for the PNC, while the rest of Guyana, especially rural areas, vote for the PPP/C. While the PNC may indeed harbour some leaders who spout ethnoracial preferences, and whenever in government seems to show full favour towards its main support base, the party has officially rejected branding itself as a racist entity.

Guyanese embrace the PPP/C across all sections of the society as the most open, viable, welcoming and caring political entity in the country, with its governance benefiting Guyanese across the national spectrum. These considerations become valuable as the One Guyana Commission takes form, even as the Ethnic Relations Commission exists to ensure conversations and rhetoric on the national stage do not inject, incite, or foster ethnoracial division, hatred towards any group, or ill sentiment towards any section of the Guyanese populace.
President Ali’s leadership of this government is proving to be ground-breaking, historic, and magnificently visionary. This idea of the One Guyana Commission is a brilliant concept, Mandelaistic in scope and goal, one that will do much to heal any divisive leakages within the Guyanese body politic. The split in the 1950s of the PNC away from the original PPP still rankles the national soul today, and it is imperative that the PNC recognise its role in fostering a country of unity, co-operation, and reaching out to the society, rather than only look inward to see itself as representing only its core base. In this vein, as Parliament gears up for Budget debates, it would be fruitful for the opposition to approach government’s national development plans and strategy with a sense of respect, seeking to understand the rationale that drives this ambitious, aggressive push for Guyana to become the best nation it could be in today’s world, to become a partner with the government – rather than an irrational opposition, for the good of the Guyanese people.

The opposition leader would do well to recognise that the Coalition made enormous blunders in messing with the democratic fabric and imposing harsh socioeconomic conditions on Guyanese, and that the PPP/C won elections freely and fairly, with the international community verifying the results. The opposition cannot want to treat Parliament with a cavalier attitude, discounting the hard work of this government, but must show magnanimity of heart, care for the development of the country, and genuine compassion for citizens. As the opposition in Parliament, these Members of Parliament form an important arm of the legislation branch of the State, and they would do the nation well to take their elected roles seriously, work hard and not merely play politics, or oppose State initiatives for the sake of opposing. It is a different world today, especially with the global COVID pandemic impacting so much of the world.
Guyana, in the midst of this global crisis, is well-positioned to do well for its citizens this year and over the next five years, and government is shoring up the integrity of the foundation of the society with this alignment to the ideal of Guyanese as a nation of One People, One Nation, with one Destiny, making this belief not only a motto in rhetoric, but enshrining its operation as a substantial, tangible reality, with teeth and with the national commission making the promise to this nation of six peoples becoming one a national truth, of the nation’s multiple religions and ethnicity and cultures functioning as one, of different worldviews and viewpoints and cultures becoming one forward-looking Guyanese nation.