Hundreds of Guyanese were at the Square of the Revolution this week to meet with ministers of government and other officials. The theme of the engagement, which was organised by the government, was “Government Comes to You.”
There were representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, ministries and other state agencies. Many are congratulating the government deeming the activity a success. Some have said that it is the first time they witnessed such a meeting of government and the people. But it has also been noted that it was not the first activity of its kind that has been hosted under this government and that the opportunity to meet with ministers is always an option. Although this may be true, certainly hundreds of people are not meeting with ministers and other officials every day. Many people have often tried to meet with ministers and have been unsuccessful. Ministers, however, cannot spend every day solely meeting with the people since they do have other ministerial duties.
Government coming to the people should not be a special event or something that seldom happens; it should be an integral part of how any government functions. Of course, no one is expecting ministers to leave their offices every day to sit under tents in this Guyana heat to interact with the people, but even if done periodically, the people will be encouraged. The people will be more confident that their votes matter. Those who refuse to vote may be motivated to do so. The youth will be encouraged because in meeting with those ministers they will be given the platform to speak about issues affecting them and remind government officials that neglecting the youth is akin to neglecting Guyana’s future. For many years, the government and the people seemed to be worlds apart. We have witnessed the rise and fall of leaders who intimidated the people and who were only concerned about the wellbeing of their relatives, friends and associates.
