Dear Editor,
The local government elections (LGE) proved the PPP is relevant and APNU+AFC fulfilled its promise, but Guyana is divided.
There are two key things we must learn from the local government elections: APNU+AFC must respect the relevance of and the contributions made to this country by the PPP, and the PPP will have to show that they are going to work with this government on bipartisan initiatives that are critical to the national interest and not simply be obstructionist as APNU was from 2011 to 2015.
Unfortunately the country is very much divided, and it is up to both major parties to do something real that will drive national unity. I believe that this division is superficial and driven by fear, and deep down inside all of us, we long for mutual respect and cooperation for a better Guyana.
One of the key things that still drives this division is the government’s tendency to use the PPP as a scapegoat to justify its own incompetence and indiscretions. Likewise, the PPP must take a bold step towards national unity, something that will cause a real shift in our political system.
Many believe that former President Bharrat Jagdeo has definitely become a wiser and more effective statesman, and that this will make for a productive and fruitful opposition of a kind Guyana has not seen before. I appeal to the PPP to think outside the box and take bold steps that would drive our country’s democracy forward from where it is today. These bold initiatives are what will define the party as a force for real change come next elections.
Guyana must get used to the idea of inclusive governance and reject totally the practice of ethnic politics, because even the blind can see it has got us nowhere since independence. And some may argue that we are still being controlled by our colonial rulers.
Let the LGE be the start of a true independent democracy, where Guyanese can take control of the democratic process and make it work fairly for everyone. This will define our true independence and prove that we are no longer in need of meddling under the false pretence of support. I encourage the government to take the LGE beyond just an election date and make it work for Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Malcolm Watkins
