Dear Editor,
Guyana’s democracy since Indepen-dence has been a work in progress. Our successive presidents: Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, Hugh Desmond Hoyte, Dr Cheddi Jagan, Samuel Hinds, Janet Jagan and Bharrat Jagdeo have each in their own way and with their own vision, taken our beautiful country from the throes of colonialism to the ideal we all dream of: ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny.‘ The next Government of Guyana will take us to our 50th anniversary in 2016. Our Golden Anniversary.
Over the last few days the people of Guyana have voted to have a Parliament in which no single party can govern by itself. Additionally, the party with the most votes, the PPP/C received only
166, 340 votes out of an eligible voter base of 475,496. This means only 34.89 % of those eligible to vote in Guyana supported the PPP/C. The combined opposition votes were also greater than the PPP/Cs total. This is not a mandate to rule alone.
Our motto can only be achieved through a Government of National Unity. The international community knows this. Peace-loving and fair-minded Guyanese know this. Mr Ramotar can stand on a mountain of greatness if he can foster a spirit of inclusiveness by agreeing to a Government of National Unity which he will lead with David Granger as his prime minister.
Such a courageous and historically correct decision will make Guyana a modern society that is envied worldwide. For Guyana to be a great nation we need renewal and rebirth. We need to recognize that in any great society, in any great democracy, all citizens, regardless of race, religion or creed, must feel involved and included.
ACDA has for the last 19 years called for a Government of National Unity that will ensure peace, prosperity and development.
The people of Guyana have spoken through their ballots and also through their disdain of the type of politics we have lived with to say, “It is time for change.“ Strangely, over 55,000 voters in Region 4 did not vote, a highly suspicious and improbable number given the percentage turnout in other regions.
Let us use this historic moment of voter choice and of the many issues associated with the voting process, combined with the goodwill of Christmas, to embrace each other and strive for a plural democracy in which every Guyanese is equally valued regardless of race, colour, creed or economic means. I believe that as Guyanese, we have the ability to stop being prisoners of our past and will become pioneers of our future through a Government of National Unity. Let us become a nation with a common vision and with common values, jointly created, jointly enjoyed in peace, brotherhood and mutual respect.
The greatness of our next President will be in his ability to be a bold visionary servant-leader who will give his people and his nation the gifts and virtues of healing, reconciliation, the full protection of human rights and compassionate care to those unable to help themselves. Our nation looks forward to a Government of National Unity in which our President , Prime Minister and their cabinet will work together to strengthen our democracy so that our nation, our children and our families have a better future. All Guyanese should support the call and need for a Government of National Unity. We must strive with all our hearts to work as one. Our strength is our diversity. Our strength is our heritage and culture. Our strength is our unity. Guyana can still become a great nation and a beacon of hope for the Caribbean.
We need to reject any leader who is for a few and not for the many. It was once said, “If a leader holds sway by exploiting our greed and our hatreds, the evil is in us too. If a bad leader rules because of our lethargy, we are collaborators. The fault is not in the stars.”
We are at an historic junction in Guyana. Kahlil Gibran once said: “We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.“ Let us chose joy.
Yours faithfully,
Eric Phillips
