‘We have to continue to forge a society that is free from ethnic stereotypes and where race and ethnicity are seen as nothing more than biological and cultural traits with which every individual is uniquely endowed and where the concept of cultural ethnicity has no place in our society’
THE dawn of a new year is always reason for hope. Hope for a Guyana in which there is peace, progress and prosperity and where all Guyanese, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation feel that they are an integral part of the Guyanese family.

We have undoubtedly come a long way in terms of race relations. We have become a much more tolerant and matured society. There is much greater appreciation of each other’s religion and cultural diversity.

Be that as it may, there is also much more that needed to be done to erase what lingering suspicions still exist. There is still a fair measure of ethnic insecurity due mainly to the divide and rule tactics employed by the colonialists to keep us as a nation divided and in a subservient status. A disunited population, it was hoped, was more likely to be controlled and manipulated than a population that was united around certain core values and principles such as the desire to be free from the bondage of colonialism and neo-colonialism, which, sadly was the defining characteristic of our pre-independence history.

As indicated earlier, we have made substantial progress, both constitutionally and at the socio-political level to realize a more cohesive and tolerant society. Much of this resulted from the democratization of the society allowing for greater freedoms including the right to elect a government of one’s choice and freedom of expression. There is also greater security in terms of access to education and health facilities both of which are free of cost to Guyanese. There are not many countries in the world, including some of the more developed countries where there is almost complete access to health and medical facilities at the level of the government. This speaks well of the caring nature of the current administration which from the time it assumed power embarked on a programme of development with a human face. The budgetary allocations were reconfigured to put more money in human development including education, health, housing, water among others.

We have, however, to continue to build on our achievements, which are quite substantial and seek to minimize those things that seek to thwart our economic and social progress. We have to continue to forge a society that is free from ethnic stereotypes and where race and ethnicity are seen as nothing more than biological and cultural traits with which every individual is uniquely endowed and where the concept of cultural ethnicity has no place in our society.

The truth is that every single ethnic group in this country has made and continues to make their contribution to national development in their own unique ways, depending on their location in the economic structure of society. Indo-Guyanese by and large dominate the agriculture and business sector, due in part to the skills our indentured labourers brought with them from India and which were handed down from generation to generation. Many indentured labourers, on completion of their period of indentureship opted for a plot of agricultural land in exchange for a return passage to India. Afro-Guyanese, in large measure dominate the civil service and the professions even though an increasing number of them are gravitating to business and commerce. Amerindians for the most part are engaged in farming, hunting and porkknocking, even though an increasing number are now joining the ranks of professionals due to improved quality of education offered to Amerindians. Our society is becoming increasingly integrated and it would be foolhardy for anyone to even suggest that this nation could survive, much less prosper, without the contribution of each and every ethnic group in our society.

The biggest challenge faced by us as a nation is how we can increase the size of our national cake so that each and every one of us can get a bigger share of the national cake. Our per capita income, relatively speaking and having regard to our potential, is still lagging somewhat. The situation is made no easier by the deepening global financial and economic crisis which is having an adverse effect on our capacity to grow and develop. Developing countries such as ours still continue to suffer from unfair trading practices and depressed commodity prices for our main exports. The gap in living standards between the rich and the poor continues to widen.

The call for a new global human order, so well articulated by our late President Cheddi Jagan cannot be more relevant and has resonance far beyond the shores of Guyana and our hemisphere. Too many resources are spent on weapons of mass destruction which otherwise could have been spent on alleviating the suffering of the poor and the deprived.

Let us hope that the new year of 2009 would result in less talk and more action on the part of policymakers in the developed world. There is absolutely no need to expend such huge amount of resources on military hardware in the face of mass hunger and deprivation. Let us hope than a new and more enlightened approach would be taken by the leaders of the rich and powerful nations to create a more equitable and just society.
‘Too many resources are spent on weapons of mass destruction which otherwise could have been spent on alleviating the suffering of the poor and the deprived’