Dear Editor,

Hope is defined in the dictionary as, “to desire with expectation of fulfillment” or “ expectation and desire combined”, depends on which reference one looks up.  Hope is a word which  can conjure  up a lot of feelings in an individual or in society, as time and life passes by in  kaleidoscopic relationships of certainty or doubt, whichever one wants to cling to. Doubt is a real feeling which can affect us in real negative ways and that is why we always have to put doubt aside and concentrate on certainty and affirmative levels of consciousness in order to carry on our daily lives – to realize our dreams and ambitions and to turn hard reality into a positive outlook on life itself. But the concept of doubt itself is a valid reaction and even a real safeguard against rashness, impatience and as a brake to over-confidence.

President Obama writes about hope in his book (the Audacity of Hope) and in his numerous speeches, he always preaches the message of hope and it’s consequences for new changes we need on this planet and in our lives and he’s absolutely correct; the placement of hope in his political lexicon has made Mr.Obama a  real political champion of the mass of people who  are ready to give up on the war-mongers; the corruption, graft and greed world-wide ;  the lack of concern for the welfare of others and the precept that public service is not for them.

For President Obama, hope is for disarmament, peace and the concept of Mahatma Gandhi’s central dogma of “Ahimsa” or non-violence; hope for a better life and a better world for our children- a world of ahimsa where violence and strife will be a thing of the past; hope for the destruction of racism, bigotry and hate which has shut our ears and closed our minds to logic, understanding and God’s will;  hope for a stronger and vibrant capitalist economic system, led by  America, and showing a human face to the countless millions of citizens world-wide who look up to her for leadership and a stable world;  hope for a new beginning in religious kinship between all  of God’s children on this planet with the destruction of Satan’s Taliban army (and other like-minded traitors of God’s Laws) who will perish when Obama unleashes his real power; hope for democracy  with minority rights preserved and the right to have total press freedom, preservation of workers’ rights and  politics which, as Gandhi said, follows the prerequisites for the Kingdom of Heaven – truth, truth and more truth instead of all the lies many politicians are peddling;  Obama’s hope for changes in America and the world  resonates in his simple mantra of “yes, we can”,  three words easy to understand and relate to , especially for the youth who are the ones who will change that mantra to “yes, we have”, in the  post-Obama years. Here in Guyana, we share the same hope which Obama has for his country and the world, and we, the Guyanese people, recognise President Obama as the leader of this hemisphere and as such, the dreams and aspirations which he devotes his energies to, we want to be a part of. We hope for better electricity, water supply,  governance, security (social and personal), jobs  and  exploitation of our resources; for real changes in our constitution to accommodate wide-ranging new ideas from Presidential power to the will of the people; for a vibrant economy where the private sector is indeed “the engine of growth” and not government-dominated control of the economy- we need the tri-sectoral approach which President Cheddi  believed in and which is not being implemented by this government;  for new ideas with young smart people to carry them to fruition and to serve our country through public service;  to end the disastrous migration by creating the economic climate for expanding foreign investment and trade and training our youth to meet new challenges while expanding our agricultural base through co-ops (one of President Burnham’s visionary initiatives ) on one hand  and agro-industry, on the other; for  less government domination of our lives with smaller central government and more power to local authorities;  and we all hope for the end to any form of torture, police brutality or  extra-judicial killings of our citizens.

Editor, the rationalization of our belief in hope is that it gives us an optimistic vision for what can be if we can, together, united in common purpose, forge a new beginning of dealing with truth, honour and dedication to our friends, family, community and country.  With the elevation of Barack Obama as President of the USA, we in Guyana are already the recipients of a strong dose of hope and the question which we should ask ourselves is, as the next general election approaches – can we really desire (by increasing voter registration, especially among the Guyanese youth) and expect (big turn-out on election day) a better future with a change of government in this country?  Since the terms “expect” and “desire” represent hope then if we in the opposition can do as President Obama did in the USA elections (by dint of hard work to register and turn-out voters in 2011), the answer to this question is a resounding  “yes, we can”  if  “the audacity of hope” can turn us all into active persons dedicated to real change for our beautiful country.

Yours faithfully,
Cheddi(Joey)Jagan(Jr.)