It all begins with the character of those we choose to lead, which is why political parties have a special responsibility to ascertain the quality of their members, more particularly, their leadership cadre. Political parties articulate the shared vision of their members and provide leaders in governance to manage the affairs of nations. Ministers and other high officials are entrusted with power and resources for which they are accountable, but the material resources are not the limit of their accountability.
The nation’s social fabric is built upon its core values that provide an everyday basis for understanding and framing our vision and aspirations about how the country will be developed and what constitutes development. In this context, the cultural dimension frames the discussion; hence, the ideological perspective is not the focus.
Without core values, individuals or groups may have vastly different perspectives about their existence, what constitutes a problem, and how it should be solved. For example, the Jim Jones suicide incident in Guyana, where his religious cult had different perspectives of their existence in America that was way outside the mainstream American values, forced them to seek solace in Guyana’s Northwest region. The disaster of mass suicide happened when Congressman Ryan and his investigative party visited the location, and Jones felt persecuted. The eventuality was 914 deaths by suicide. For Jones, the “system” had failed. It was a similar situation in Waco, Texas, and now we see an even larger cult in the US under the so-called Trumpism.
In some situations, the response is Coup de Etat, while in others, the system collapses, and anarchy “runs things.” Jones’ solution was suicide. In the Trump case, we wait and watch for the outcome, knowing from the experience of January 6 and the Classified Documents issue that nothing good comes out of that guy. In the Guyana case, it is the Caste System practiced by Hindus, the character of individuals in leadership, corruption of our institutions and the breakdown in the rule of law. We must be careful about our core values, what we believe, and the character of those who lead.
Too much can go wrong when governance fails. An African proverb says, “When a fish rots, the head stinks first.”
The incident involving the alleged rape of one of Guyana’s indigenous daughters by a Minister of Government and how it was handled is a crass example of the faltering of compassion and the rule of law. How the institutions treated the matter betrayed the core values of the population and undermined their trust in the rule of law. It was apparent to the public that the system showed no compassion for another victim of errant governance.
In addition, there was the incident of 20 young Indigenous women perishing in a dormitory fire. Were there fire extinguishers in the building? Were there fire drills? Why was the building grilled and the girls locked in it while the Matron slept elsewhere with the keys? Obviously, there was simply no way out for the girls, which is worse than unacceptable.
Are we seeing the same degree of negligence on the nation’s public roads that results in many deaths? Then there is corruption, a story we know all too well.
Despite our diverse population, we must be thoughtful and resilient. The hands from our colonial past are still in the mix and will exploit our weaknesses to further their interests.
We must go back to the basic principle of honour. The power and resources are not owed by the individuals; they are held and exercised on the people’s behalf. It is treasonous to think that “taking ownership of the responsibility” means personal ownership of power and resources. Compassion, the rule of law, fidelity and the strength of our institutions are essential pillars upon which a nation is upheld. It begins with the character of those we choose for leadership responsibility and the operating values inside the political parties and government.
Guyana must not be allowed to fail. “There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree.”
