Government ministers need to go into the communities

guyana chronicle editorial, October 17, 2015

THIS current government, which has been in office for a mere five months, has in that short space of time accomplished quite a bit. Every day there are media reports of services being rendered to communities, some of which are now enjoying basic services such as potable water and electricity for the first time. In the area of infrastructure, which in some communities had degenerated into advanced states of disrepair, there has been noticeable improvement. Georgetown, for example, is beginning to look like the city which we were all once proud of. The Ministry of Education has been very busy tending to the education needs of the country. There have been some small but significant developments at the University of Guyana, which as we all know needed instant life support. Teacher-training in some critical areas has commenced and there are moves towards addressing other pivotal areas such as transportation, especially in the hinterland areas. In the area of housing, there is discernable movement to deal with the sore issue of backlog of applications for houselots. The Ministries of Business and Tourism are also busy in those very important sectors as the Social Services Ministry. Agriculture is another area where we have seen a lot of activities that give hope of better things to come. The President himself has done a remarkable job in defence of our territory. The Ministry of Public Security, in the face of what seemed to be an orchestrated spike in crime, has taken some bold steps to protect citizens. Yet for all those accomplishments, there seems to be a disconnect between the government and the people. This was borne out by the response of government supporters to the recent 50% salary hike for ministers. Clearly the government was taken by surprise at the ferocity of the pushback among its supporters. One of our columnists has put this down to the apparent disconnect between the governors and the governed. It is not enough to report these things in the media; these reports should be followed up by visits to the communities to explain to and consult with the people. A government should not govern only from Georgetown or from the halls of government; that is a recipe for failure. In a society where people’s confidence and perhaps trust in government have deteriorated over the years, it is imperative that this government seeks to repair that breach. This government has the historic task of correcting the errors of five decades and more of mis-governance. It has to come to grips with the circumstances in which it is governing. History has thrust upon this government particular responsibilities. It came to power when the country had hit rock bottom. Government had abandoned the people, was cheating them, and they in turn had lost respect for government. The rise to office of this coalition in May brought with it a renewed sense of engagement with and interest in the affairs of government, at least among government supporters. The massive crowds at the activities during the first weeks, the emotional bond with the new government and the spontaneous cleanup of the country were clear indicators of a populace crying out for attention and wanting to be part of the governance process. But once the dust had settled, there was a feeling that we were returning to the rejected norm. Except for a series of village forums by the Ministry of Social Cohesion and a few visits by other ministers, there has not been a consistent outreach to the communities. This has to be corrected as quickly as possible. We feel that constant engagement of the masses by the rulers should become part of the governance culture. It is one of the monumental failures of government in post-colonial Caribbean which has in turn helped to nurture the authoritarian instinct that has bedevilled the Region. Often, when governments are confronted with the protests of the people, they quickly resort to the weapon of “law and order.” Dr. Martin Luther King once described protests from the bottom as the “language of the unheard.” When people are neglected, they resort to the language of the unheard, some of which we have seen these last few days. Guyanese want to be heard. They want to speak directly to their leaders, their representatives. Gone are the days when ordinary people should be lining up to see ministers at their offices. The ministers need to get out into the communities to report to the people and to hear from them. There was no shortage of community meetings during the campaign; there was a love affair between the parties and the people. But the people, the salt of the earth, should not be part-time lovers. At the end of the day, people have a right to have both an indirect and direct say on matters that affect their lives. Over to the government.