2006 - The Year of The People's Revolution

Peter R. Ramsaroop, MBA

This year we are faced with what many are calling the most critical decision our nation has ever faced. A return of the PPP/C this year will most likely take us into a dictatorship state and closer to a movement towards the leftist front that has been sweeping across Latin America.

We know regardless of race politics, Guyanese want a free and prosperous society. However, we see indications of the creeping dictatorship all over our land. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on contracts with little or no results and the President has been doling out multiple millions of dollars as Father Christmas in an attempt to buy the votes for 2006.

Rightfully so, the PPP feels an extreme urgency to frantically appease the forlorn citizens who are coming to terms with the fact that they have just wasted another five years of the nation’s history on another subpar government. However, there is only so much money the PPP can dispense and when the well runs dry, their incompetence will remain.

The brain drain continues to steal our intellectuals away to foreign shores because the local economy is so unfortunate. Meanwhile, our borders remain indifferent to the trickle of foreign investors who may have an interest in our country, thereby rejecting the very ones who could help infuse life into our economy and retain the intellectuals with hopeful jobs.

Moreover, we are fraught with a weak opposition who tabled a 2000 National Development Strategy Plan in Parliament and received an astonishing unanimous vote to accept from the PPP/C. How could a 2000 plan without being looked at in detail be presented to Parliament? What happened in the last six years? Is it really possible for a Parliament to squander and entire term in office?

We all know President Carter said he was extremely disappointed with the PPP/C for not implementing a plan he funded and he does not plan to return to Guyana. Imagine where Guyana could have been if the plan had been implemented in 2000. Though there is no reason to cry over spilt milk now, there is plenty of reason to be on the hunt for some capable leaders.

I truly hope we do not allow these same politicians to govern us for the next five years.

We the people must now step out; the only question that remains is what we want. History has proven that unless the people want change, it will never happened. If we are satisfied with the current collective quality of life and enjoy things just the way they are, then nothing needs to change. However, if we are unsatisfied with our current state after allowing the PPP a good amount of time to improve the nation, then it is time for us to make our move.

We have three choices, we can do nothing; we can attempt to do the same thing with more intensity; or we can do it differently. If we do nothing then we can expect nothing. If we continue to do the same thing, then we can expect the same results. Our clear choice is to seek out a different strategy that will rely on qualified leaders who have the gumption to push our nation into the next phase of progress.

The term revolution may send a chill up the backs of some politicians, but we the people want a better Guyana and we are simply tired of the proroguing excuses. We are tired of being used by the government. We are ready to stand up for what is right for our country.

We are also ready to demand a high standard of decency from our leaders. For those who remember the police going into Buxton and arresting 130 males, do you also remember what NCN aired on the television? They did not show a single arrest, but angry women wanting their kinfolk back. I wonder what message they were trying to send. Answer that question for yourself.

We cannot allow the continued monopoly of radio and state media and we cannot allow our tax dollars to be wasted by corrupt politicians. In short, we simply cannot continue to have an incompetent government. They have forgotten what it is like to live without food and the necessities of life. They have forgotten how difficult it is to grow a business in a country that has little money to spend. They have forgotten the people who put them in office. They have forgotten Guyana.

Let’s stand up for our rights as people; it is our democratic privilege and our responsibility as citizens. We cannot allow Guyana to turn into a dictatorship once again. This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever we grow weary of the existing government, it is our Constitutional right to replace it.

Though we grow weary of our government, we cannot become wearisome in our faith that Guyana does indeed have a future. If we lose heart and falter, then surely our dejected nation will once again plummet into the troughs of tyranny. We cannot lose our will to fight for a better tomorrow, for if we do, we will have sentenced our children to a lifetime of misery and sorrow.

We must protect our republic from every ruse that would subjugate us to one person or one party. We should not give the government a reason to order army troops into our streets, and even more so - Venezuelan Army Troops. Let’s first show we can change our nation by a revolution of our votes. Our hearts are strong and our cause is noble; we can take Guyana back and set it on a course for which we can all be proud.

As we cry out to God for the wisdom and strength to make the right decisions concerning our leaders in 2006, I pray that our hearts burn with the courage we need to stand against those who would try to impose their wills on us. It is the will of the people that will prevail this year – for we know best what our own country needs. Happy New Year.