Dear Editor,
Congratulations to all those who worked on the campaign, in whatever form; those who voted and/or encouraged others to vote; and those who reside abroad but whose love for country still burns deep. Each and every one of them, near and far, has made the APNU+AFC win possible. Congratulations on a job well done, because if it were not for them, this destination would not have been possible. It was a hard fought campaign and this chapter is now closed.
Change has come to Guyana. It is time… It is long past time! We must now buckle down to another phase of hard work. The results of the election on Monday, May 11 show the voters of Region 10 resoundingly reposed confidence in the APNU+AFC, by giving 16,787 of their votes to the movement for change as opposed to 2,780 for the PPP/C. We have increased on the votes received in 2011 and there was a measured reduction in the votes received by the PPP. Others have also voted for the small parties.
What these numbers are saying to us is that persons have expressed their confidence in the political group they think can best advance and protect their interests. And this is a victory for all Guyana − the expression of the people’s collective will. It also confirms the need for us to work together and across the aisle in spite of our political differences. Region 10 will continue to set the tone where, though we may disagree at times, we can do so in an atmosphere of cordiality. We continue to hold true to the principle that in Region 10 we are one.
We, as a people, must be able from today and henceforth to deepen and strengthen the creed of One People, One Nation, One Destiny. Together we must make real the desire for national unity, inclusionary democracy and accountability, as well as making our politics performance-driven, respecting the people and the laws of the land. The results of May 11 are not cause for triumphalism, but an opportunity to respect our diversity, and demonstrate our togetherness. We need to rise above partisanship by cooperating to deepen the forging of this nation’s mighty soul, and the continued construction of its framework, where freedom must remain an everlasting goal and truth our aim. We must remain unyielding in our quest for peace and justice, and courageous in our efforts to make real the principles upon which this great country is built.
We, the people of Region 10, must continue the work to realise our dream for economic upliftment, equal opportunities and fair play. And we know, having come this far on a journey paved with heroic struggles, our soil soaked with blood, sweat and tears, and our three fallen heroes though buried under, watching over us, that we must continue this fight together to realise what is rightly ours.
Ours is the right to be treated as first class citizens in this land of our birth, and have the laws respected too. Ours is the right to associate with organisations of our choice and to have those organisations respect us consistent with the rules they have outlined. Ours is the right to ensure the 2012 agreement with central government is honoured. And we must continue the fight to make this real.
Region 10, change has come to Guyana! But this change will mean nothing if we sit on our laurels, or we waver in making real what we have been promised and what we are entitled to. This change will be meaningless if we have not learnt from the past, and refuse to avoid the missteps of those who preceded us and whom we seek to replace. Change will be meaningless if we seek to destroy rather than build on the successes of those who preceded us. Change will be meaningless if we adopt the attitude towards others that we ourselves despised when such was meted out to us. Change will be meaningless if we campaigned on commitments and refuse to honour them, or have the people understand why these cannot be honoured. Change will be meaningless if we allow ourselves to accept the things we repulsed and condemned. As a people we must make real the desire to hope again, to believe again, to dream again, and rise again. Change must mean something − and by this I mean, change must mean safeguarding, protecting and advancing the interests of the collective. Change must mean the restoration of good governance. Public service is a privilege not a right. Each and every one of us, given the opportunity to serve needs to recoginse that this means service to the people and not self. We must learn from the past in order to do better. The development of this country has been humbugged by executive lawlessness, nepotism, cronyism, ‘friendism,’ discrimination, incompetence, non-performance, poor performance and corruption. These ugly features that have come to characterise our politics and governance must now be ruthlessly stamped out and put behind us.
We have a country to build that will be great for all to see. May 11 has given us another opportunity and we must seize it. We must seize it by cooperating for Guyana and resolving to do right together. We are all in this together.
The strong must carry the weak, and nothing, I say, nothing, must stop us now! Brothers and sisters the change we worked for has come. We must continue the fight to make this change work for our collective good. I urge every citizen to ensure a government that works for the common good, and this does not only mean being associated with a political party and/or being part of the government structure; they can ensure this through involvement in non-governmental organisations. Government works best when it is kept honest and accountable to the people and they are being counted on to make this possible.
Yours faithfully,
Sharma Solomon
Regional Chairman, Region 10
APNU+AFC Campaign Manager,
Region 10
