Dear Editor,
We have been a polarized society for almost half of a century or perhaps longer, and it seems that the situation has recently become more intense with the challenges we are experiencing in governance as a result of our constitution not being designed to accommodate the present political situation of a minority government. This has placed us in uncharted territory and our leaders, judicial system and people are grappling with this ‘new normal’ and it has not been easy for any of the parties.
At this stage, I am asking the Secretary General of the United Nations if his organization could maintain a close watch on Guyana. The challenges and in-group conflicts which are occurring are sometimes necessary to create the appropriate environment for profound change; hence many of us, though we feel stretched under the current circumstances, are cognizant of the importance and relevance of some of these dynamics to the process of change. As a matter of fact, this is evidence that Guyana is changing. We recognize that change comes at a cost and while we are committed to paying the prize for the change to happen, we still believe that the process could be managed to some extent.
Nevertheless, I respectfully asked that the Secretary General’s organization keep us on its radar. Perhaps at the end of this current period, the UN agencies in Guyana and other international organizations may need to shift the focus of their development programmes to also include ‘reconstruction’ and reconciliation. We are hurting at many levels; there are many examples of countries disintegrating in the world and we do not want our country to disintegrate if something or anything can be done to stop that from happening.
Yours faithfully,
Audreyanna Thomas
