Voters can withhold their votes

Dear Editor,

That Guyanese blindly vote along racial lines is a sad historical fact. It may indicate a distrust of persons of other races, which is a form of racism. It may indicate that we are unintelligent and shallow, which would be unfortunate. Or perhaps, we simply do not think for ourselves, and just follow others as sheep do. Whatever the reason, it needs to stop. We must ask ourselves: why am I voting for a particular party? And if we cannot think of reasons other than race, we must work to change our way of thinking. And this applies to supporters of all political parties.

Voters must ask themselves: what has ‘my party’ done for me? Is my life better? Am I happier? Am I better off now, than I was before, because I always vote for the same party? All Guyanese must examine themselves. Then, we must decide, and vote to improve our own lives and those of our children. The elite politicians do not need better lives; we do.

A vote for a party, means that I trust that party to make my life better. Therefore, if a party has done nothing to improve my life, I must ask myself: why should I continue to vote for people who have done nothing for me? Why should I allow wealthy politicians – who travel around the world and live in mansions – to use me, again and again? And if I cannot give myself a good answer, I can withhold my vote. Because I am not racist, I am not stupid, and I am not a sheep. And because I need to vote for me and my family.

Yours faithfully,
Mark DaCosta