Dear Editor,
Minister Juan Bishop Edghill during his visit to Linden, according to News Source “has declared that the people of Linden and Region 10 have received their fair share of development under the current administration.” The foreign businesses in Region 10 that have no regard for good corporate practices, Guyanese or the laws of the land are not in tandem with development. Even if central government argues that money is budgeted for Region 10, money thrown at a problem without a plan does not solve the problem.
Development has to be about the society. No society can develop without the average man. The average man is the machine, the energy and force to move the society forward. Even if the politicians claim that they are the brains of the society, there is no way the society can function without the vital part, which is the average man. No vision can be implemented without the people to make it work, and this is us, the average man and woman.
And we need to ask: Is the idea to create an image that that there is a plan for the region, or is central government really concerned about the development of Region 10? A plan for the region will mean there is a vision, a dream and expectation of what it can become. And outside of Linden/Region 10 what is the plan for Guyana, the vision for Guyana?
One of our problems is that some politicians give the impression that there is plan to build Guyana when in fact, if you look beneath the surface, things are pretty much done for political gain, to get re-elected. And when elections are over, the victor announced and the spoils shared, Guyana goes back to the same old, same old. On August 21, 2012 central government and the Regional Democratic Council signed an agreement to realize an economic plan, among other things, to address the needs of the region. Central government continues to put roadblocks in the way to deny the realization of this plan and the other areas agreed upon.
Linden/Region 10 has a great history and the future should be bright. The region boasts the nation’s most skilled artisans (bauxite workers) and is minerals and forestry rich. Region 10’s financial viability should be a stepping stone for people in Guyana. Where there is financial development from the standpoint of people being able to get what they want, there is going to be social, spiritual and economic development. The ability to earn what you want builds morale, and the morale helps to develop the community, because it builds the self-image of the people, and this develops any community.
Each region and local district has a better understanding and vision on how their area’s development and financial security can move forward. Central government is not there to get a direct understanding of what can happen in a community, and this is where regional and local governments play a vital part in development. Decentralised government also means communities to become less dependent on central government.
People perform best when they have some level of autonomy because they feel they are doing things for themselves, their community. This is why you cannot just throw money at a problem and solve it, because money is just a tool. We have to evoke a sense of hope, belief and aspiration in order to have citizens believe that there is possibility for change and development. If the mind doesn’t believe it, there is no way people can achieve it. If people are involved in creating the plan, they will own the plan and ensure its success.
One of my concerns is that what some politicians call development is more an investment in their political and financial security, and how ‘development’ benefits them in the long run. The people are a casualty in this process.
Guyana still has the ability to be the breadbasket of the Caribbean but this can only happen when the people demand their rightful place at the table to cooperate in building this land, and forging a destiny of what will truly make us One Nation.
Yours faithfully,
K Sharma Solomon
Regional Chairman,
Region 10
