Dear Editor,
Do our politicians understand that they are public servants who received our vote and trust to manage our social and economic welfare? Voting is a serious matter about which we should all be concerned, because we are voting also to pay the salaries of our politicians. Not voting is also a very important choice, because if voters can’t find politicians they can trust to represent their interests, it makes no sense to have them in office. In the absence of credible, competent politicians to administer our affairs, we as a society have the responsibility of producing politicians and political parties capable of administering our local and national governments. More and more Guyanese are raising their voices to address the banal injustices and gross disrespect meted out by our major political parties. After years criticizing and highlighting our governments’ abysmal failures, these persons should recognize that they are the change that they, we are looking for. Many Guyanese have recognized the failure of ethnic politics, that this has been the source of much of our social and economic demise, and as the 2015 elections has shown, are willing to take a chance on something else, as much as this turned out to be an abysmal failure. As we move beyond Local Government Elections, the DNC proposes a public forum to discuss prospects for our future.
America, Britain, many European countries and other strong democratic nations walked in the steps we are taking, endured much social struggle to realize the achievements they enjoy in their advances in social and economic welfare. Guyana is in a power struggle, a power shift, where our desire for higher incomes, better standards of living, improved social and economic progress through strengthened regulation, laws, systems of governance and accountability is up against the forces which have in the past benefited from the existing weak systems and want to maintain the status quo. We can only achieve real advances by overcoming those who would retain the existing system, to keep things working for their benefit.
I take this opportunity also to observe and honour the work and life of Dr. Walter A. Rodney, who the Commission of Inquiry into his death requested by former President Donald Ramotar had determined had been a political assassination orchestrated by Burnham and the People’s National Congress on June 13, 1980. (https://www.walterrodneyfoundation.org/coi/report-the-commission-of-inquiry-on-the-death-of-walter-rodney-february-2016) I have been fortunate to meet one of his grandchildren. Our political historians and commentators will do a more comprehensive job than I at memorializing his work, but I offer these few words. Dr. Walter Rodney had stalwart colleagues and friends in Eusi Kwayana, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, Dr. Clive Thomas who together sought to counter Burnham and the PNC.
As someone who has shared the pain of having an enslaved African as an ancestor, it is with great sorrow that I contemplate his death, that he could have come from no lower a background to achieve the international respect and acclaim he did, only to have his life snuffed out for standing up and defending our democracy against the injustices of the incompetent and challenged PNC. They left a young wife and children to mourn the loss of a husband, a father.
This is a crime that will forever stand in our history as a stain against us, that we continue to allow the organization and those who killed him to go unpunished. Where our established laws fail, we as a people must use our innate sense of justice to condemn the perpetrators of his death, to end the criminal dictatorial politics which continues to prevail in our society, to protect us from ever having to live through what Guyanese endured under Burnham’s rule. My regrets to the family of Dr. Walter Rodney. May his children and grandchildren rise to stand on his shoulders to serve society as he did.
Peace, Love To All Guyanese,
Craig Sylvester,
DNC, https://dncgy.org.
