Dear Editor,
Governance is about the people and their business. Any decision, including laws, being made on the people’s behalf must factor in the culture of the society. It is being observed that the APNU+AFC government continues to walk in the path of the Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar governments in making decisions absent of positive feedback/support from the people. In doing so there will come a time when the barometer for judging performance will be who is the lesser of the two evils, rather than which government is better than the other. In fact, the judgement will be on negativity rather than positive growth in governance.
The time has come for leaders who are addressing the people’s business to begin to listen to the people and act in concert with the people’s opinions within the confines of laws, international conventions, charters and time-honoured principles. Too often this government is making decisions that places it in a defensive position, and on many occasions this can be avoided.
Nearly half of the electorate voted for the PPP/C. In the run-up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections the PPP/C campaign accused APNU+AFC presidential candidate David Granger of all sorts of ugly things, and advised the society that should he be elected he will militarise the business of the state. The Government of Guyana is elected by the people which makes it a civilian government. The most recent issue that disappoints people is the government’s decision to hold its Cabinet meetings in the Guyana Defence Force compound. This issue can be looked at from two main angles.
First, this could be considered a non-issue, but in our politics where the PPP/C campaigned and sensitised the society that a Granger administration would result in militarisation of government the administration should have avoided fuelling the perception and giving their opponent political ammunition. Secondly, previous PNC and PPP/C governments held Cabinet meetings in various locations, which this government could have reviewed and then learnt from those experiences.
The outcry that has emerged from the public about holding Cabinet in Camp Ayanganna needs to be addressed not with emotion but with a high level of objectivity.
Another issue: where the laws of this land continue to be violated by the government or companies, we the people must stoutly reject such acts of violation. Though it is noticed that the constitutional Public Procurement Commission has been established, the other constitutional bodies must also be put in place. Laws are not meant to be honoured in the breach or when a government, institution or person feels like honouring them. That is not how the law operates, because such will lead to widespread chaos and mayhem.
The continued failure by the Government of Guyana to respect and enforce the laws in their entirety threatens the orderliness of the society, and the development and security of the people.
The reluctance by the government to tackle the Russian management of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) when the company is unrelentingly taking every opportunity to challenge the sovereignty of this country is a grave indictment of the David Granger/Moses Nagamootoo leadership. Of any living president, David Granger, based on his military background is expected to be aware of the threats to sovereignty and territorial integrity when the laws of a country, including its constitution, are being disrespected and undermined by locals, must less foreign nationals. No Guyanese can go into Russia, establish a business, and refuse to obey that country’s laws. The Russian government’s intolerance for such disrespect would be consistent with preserving that nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Granger/Nagamootoo government is making too many avoidable mistakes. It is being suggested that more time be spent in analysing issues before decisions are made, which will avoid valuable time being spent in defending what should never have occurred.
Yours faithfully,
Lincoln Lewis
