Dear Editor,
I have been involved in various groups and organisations for all of my adult life. I do not profess to know everything about parliamentary procedures, but I think that my knowledge is a little bit more than that of the average Guyanese citizen. Community work has been my life’s passion.
Man’s journey through life should be a forward and upward one – he must evolve. Even if we may have under-achieved during our years of formal instruction, we owe ourselves the responsibility to continuously pursue knowledge and be open and receptive to it.
To illustrate my point, I wish to highlight an ongoing episode, which has boggled my imagination. I am a member of a registered group with a constitution that is also registered. This group is presided over by an individual who has continually and blatantly disregarded the said constitution and even the basic protocols of organizational discipline, despite being at the helm for a reasonable period.
I do not intend to itemize the infractions that are being perpetrated, however, I will venture to posit that whenever there are violations of the constitution, governance then becomes a serious issue and there ought to be justifiable cause for concern. I am of the view that it was not so much what those within the PPP/C did to our country, it was what we collectively allowed them to do to us.
With the dawn of a new dispensation on May 11, 2015, I have promised myself, (and I hope that all other sensible and conscious Guyanese would join me), that never again must we allow our country, our bodies, our minds and our souls to be violated, and we have to be vigilant with respect to our rights in every aspect of social and political life. So after ‘caucusing’ with other members who were similarly upset and concerned, it was decided that we should take the requisite steps to arrest this sordid state of affairs.
At a recently held monthly meeting I took the floor and informed the Chairman that I rose on a point of order to highlight the numerous violations of the of the group’s constitution that are being perpetrated under his stewardship. The Chairman stared at me as if I was some alien muttering something of an unintelligible nature. I proceeded to explain to him that when a motion of point of order is tabled, and when it deals with violations of the group’s constitution, it takes precedence over all other business; that it does not require a seconder, and is not debatable.
To my horror, the same individuals who were supportive of me prior to the commencement of the meeting, which was, that we should take the said course of action, agreed with the Chairman that my concerns should be addressed under “any other business”. Also supporting the Chairman was someone who has been a councillor on the Regional Democratic Council since 2011. Because of the reluctance of the Chairman to be guided by an agenda, the meeting went on for an inordinately long time, and by the time the meeting progressed to “any other business”, more than half of the members had left. Then, to my surprise, the Chairman declared the meeting closed, and when I reminded him of his promise to entertain me, he said that I can do so at the next meeting. The status quo remains the same. Then I recalled reading some time back that ‘knowledge is power and ignorance is a choice.’
In order for the present administration to succeed in its efforts to reorder and positively transform Guyana, it has to pay particular attention to the enlightenment of citizens (especially the youth) in the basic rudiments of group dynamics and parliamentary procedures so that they can zealously confront and eliminate all forms of autocratic leadership within all groups/organisations.
The home ought to be the place where an individual should be imbued with the love of his or her self and, equally, the love of humanity.
It is here that the individual should learn to be led by, and be respectful to, parents and other elders, and to interact and socialize with other family members and neighbours.
The school system ought to be the place where the individual should learn to be led by, and to be respectful to, persons other than his or her parents, for example, teachers, prefects and coaches and team management of whatever sport in which he or she will be involved, and to also be exposed to group discipline and to working co-operatively, while maintaining his or her individuality. Additionally, the individual will also get the opportunity to interact and socialize with a wider cross-section of persons. He or she should also be taught about organizing and managing groups for sustainability, and about the functions of the various office-bearers. In essence, he or she will be given their first experience of democracy in action.
After the individual would have left secondary school there ought to be policies and programmes in place to build on the foundation that was laid there, with a view to nurturing a young adult who will be well-versed in group dynamics and parliamentary procedures, and one who is profoundly civic minded and community conscious. The state has to take on the responsibility of creating and maintaining the requisite infrastructure and enabling environment.
Towards this end, I think that it would be a good idea for the present powers to take a very close look at the systems for youth, sports and community development that obtained during the years of the Burnham administration. It was a system that saw the appointment of youth officers and sports organisers, and the establishment of Community Development Councils (CDC’s) within what were then Village and District Councils.
It must be noted that all Guyanese below the age of thirty-eight would have basically grown up under the misrule of the PPP/C regime. It is imperative that the current administration spare no effort to disabuse the minds of these citizens, and replace that negativity with a sense of importance, freedom and hope for better and brighter futures. This can only be achieved by policies and programmes of sustained enlightenment so that they can work assiduously in partnership with the state to build a genuine democracy in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Scotland
