PRESIDENT Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has indicated that his government’s ‘One Guyana’ vision is aimed at creating a new culture of greater inclusion at the legislative, political and social levels. These observations were made by the President during an address to religious leaders from North America. The session was interactive and the President took the opportunity to tap into the resources of the religious community to advance his vision of a society in which there are higher levels of tolerance and appreciation of our diversity and multi-culturalism.

What the President is seeking to have established in Guyana is what can be described as a ‘social contract’ between the government and the people of Guyana, one that will give a voice to all segments of the society based on mutual respect and appreciation of our cultural and political diversity. The diaspora in North America and the rest of the world also have a role to play in the establishment of the ‘One Guyana’ vision, brainchild of President Ali and which is envisioned to encompass the whole of Guyana including the Guyanese diaspora. And according to the President, under the ‘One Guyana’ vision, all will benefit from Guyana’s resources and social groups including women, Indigenous Peoples and young people will be the main beneficiaries.

Speaking directly to representatives of the religious community in the diaspora, President Ali had this to say: “You are the custodians of morality, and you can help people to appreciate their moral and social obligations. The religious community must also lead the way in promoting social harmony, particularly in encouraging greater tolerance and understanding and through respect for our multicultural diversity.”

On their part, the religious leaders committed themselves to contribute to the promotion of a new society, especially in the context of the ‘One Guyana’ vision as articulated and envisioned by the President.

As correctly observed by President Ali, “No government has all the answers; It is my wish to be able to benefit from the viewpoints of all, including our political parties, trade unions, private sector, workers and social organisations. One Guyana is therefore is a social contract of inclusion.”

This is indeed the way to go in Guyana, known for its ethnic diversity and political pluralism. The fact is that there is no ‘silver bullet’ that could eliminate all of the problems and challenges of the Guyanese society, but it is the extent to which government is prepared to listen to, and respond to the concerns of all segments of the population and take genuine action to address those concerns that really matter. And this is exactly the thinking behind the ‘One Guyana’ concept.

At the theoretical level, social contract has to do with the rights of individuals to enjoy freedoms guaranteed by the government, but it also has to do with obligations on the part of individuals to obey legitimate authority within the framework of the Constitution and the rule of law. The origin of the social contract theory goes back to the early days of the enlightenment which found expression in the writings of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Rosseau which, in essence, spoke to the reality of authority as a derivative from the consent of the people which is the instrumentality of covenant or agreement. People are regarded as the source of all authority including political power.

This is why any attempt to rupture that contract between the State and the people by way of the seizure of power by through undemocratic means is considered a violation of the norms of legitimate governance and could result in serious consequences for the overall health of the society. The social contract, as envisioned by President Ali, in the context of our politics is one in which the norms of political pluralism based on periodic free and fair elections must be the basis of rule. Any departure from that fundamental principle of governance is fraught will all kinds of dangers including the creation of a state of anarchy, which in the words of the English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, could result in a ‘war of all against all’.

The President’s vision of One Guyana underpinned by a social contract between the government and the people is both commendable and forward-looking and should be embraced by all including the religious community and all social groups and organisations. This is indeed an idea whose time has come.