The Editor,
Since political independence, 56 years ago, we have allowed ourselves as a people to be divided and exploited by both internal and external political and business forces, all to the detriment of ourselves and our offspring’s. We have allowed ourselves to be fooled, lied to, used and abused by people who only pretended to have our interests at heart. The interests of the rich and/or politician will never be the same as that of the poor. We have been misguided by selfish politicians into hating each other because of our ethnicity. So, for 56 years we have been fighting each other in the trenches, giving the politicians a free reign to enrich themselves and cronies while exploiting and misleading us.
As a result, we have today become a country of Haves and Haves Not… A country of very rich and very poor people. The spirit of PATRIOTISM has long died in this blessed land of ours. We debate, exalt our idols, expostulate against those we hate on a daily basis both privately and publicly. Yet failing to understand why and how we arrived at where we are today. A divided undeveloped Third World country unable as a people to recognize our identity and our shared destiny. Unable to craft a simple cohesive development policy which will benefit us all regardless of the colour of our skin or our political allegiances.
All religions preach of One Spirit, One Supreme Being, Equality of All Mankind, selflessness and love for our fellow brothers and sisters. Maybe this message has not been taught or has not reached our innumerable religious brothers and sisters across the length and breadth of the country. Unfortunately, as more OIL money pours into the country, the rat race will intensify, the hatred, the greed, the divisions, the allegiances will all become more imbedded. However, if the majority of a nation is forced to exist mainly in Survival Mode as a way of life, only God knows where it will all culminate.
I have heard and read of some people who suggest that the answer to our woes and survival rests with the birthing of a THIRD FORCE which I totally support. The school of thought, I assume is that such an independent Third Party could halt this decimating political and economic battle we have been waging with each other since Independence. It could bring an end to the winner take-all political system we use to fight each other and that has kept us in a perpetual state of underdevelopment. My only hope is that those who advocate such a Force still have some deep sense of Patriotism left in their veins and are not cut from the same cloth as our current politicians.
A Third Force, with the necessary commitment to country, adequate funding with no strings attached, democratic organization, clear cut development policies derived from a national consensus, a willingness to rid themselves of ethnic biases and to work for the uplift of ALL GUYANESE, can become our nation’s salvation. At the same time, they must learn from and commit to NOT making the mistakes that the last major Third Force made. The young people of Guyana must also wake up from their slumber and realize that this struggle is more theirs than their older folks, even though the latter are responsible for the woes they now face. They should place themselves at the forefront of any such initiative if they are to play a meaningful role in the shaping of their future.
All it requires is securing two or three independent seats in Parliament to free the country from the stranglehold that has gripped it for the past 56 years. There still exists a group of independent-minded, respected Guyanese, both inside and outside the country, who I think can form the nucleus of such a movement. I do wonder if any dialogue has begun between these individuals and groups to explore collaborating for this greater good. The time for debating and talking has long passed. Guyana needs to be saved from itself. My final question is: Do we have the Patriotism, the Love of Country, a Willingness to sacrifice self for the greater good, the Commitment to advance a non-partisan approach to our people’s development and the Will to kill that beast within us that forces us to hate, and exploit each other, to become selfish and greedy?
The proponents of a Third Force must answer these questions in the affirmative before the dialogue commences. The future of our present and upcoming generations is at stake. You could count on my support.
Sincerely,
D. Da Costa
