There should be low exposure options to street protests for citizens to express dissent

Dear Editor,

It is expected that patriotic citizens, regardless of political affiliation, would be alarmed by government’s anti-democratic actions and wish to express dissent. As such, priority should be given by pro-democracy leaders, to facilitating expressions of dissent. Editor, street action, called ‘protest’ in Guyana, is one way to pressure a dictatorial regime. But such action has limitations and potential drawbacks. Dictators may provoke street confrontations which can only hurt the good cause. Indeed, Guyanese are familiar with such. Apart from those concerns, the majority of Guyanese have to work hard to make ends meet, and simply cannot find time and energy to march in the street holding placards. Others may be afraid of negative repercussions, such as victimisation by employers or the dictators themselves. Experts say that street action may be effective, but they also agree that it entails significant personal sacrifice and potential risk.

It is clear that opposition leaders are determined to pressure Guyana’s rulers to return to a democratic course. History teaches us that we cannot expect external forces to fix our problems; we can depend only on our own ingenuity, creativity, imagination, strategy, sacrifice, and hard effort. It is therefore up to opposition leaders to organise and coordinate a wide range of ways for ordinary Guyanese to become involved in resistance exercises. Citizens should not be left out because they cannot participate in street protest; there should be alternatives, including low-risk, low-exposure options. Ideally, even the sick and infirm could be given a voice; in other countries, persons did this by displaying particular colours. Editor, the options are limitless.   It is evident that many Guyanese are dissatisfied with the status quo. It is equally obvious that some are afraid to speak loudly owing to years of living under the yoke of a vengeful regime. It is therefore the duty of pro-democracy leaders to give all citizens the ability to add their voice to the calls for democratic normalcy. All Guyanese are entitled to a voice in the national discourse, even those who speak softly.

Yours faithfully,
Mark DaCosta