Alliance for Change (AFC) youths voiced their concerns for needed change in Guyana at the upcoming General Elections and outlined the dire state of affairs that exist in the country last weekend to Berbicians. The youths, overseas-based Guyanese Anita Jaikarran and Nadia Subhan, both of whom are active members of the AFC NY and NJ Chapters visited the Ancient County and called for youths in Berbice to make a change in the elections. The youths’ parents are also actively involved with the party and left Guyana several years ago for a better life overseas.The call for change was also echoed by AFC youth activist in the area, Alicia Hermonstine. But the problem of youths not voting came to the minds of the youth leaders. It was revealed that, through an AFC survey, just about 70 per cent of young people did not vote during the last elections in 2006. “If the young people had voted for a party, if they had voted differently, we would have had a new government”, said Salim Nausrudeen, Campaign Director of the AFC. He said that the young people are not voting because of the hopelessness in Guyana.
The young people said that they want opportunities, education and jobs and a voice. “I think that AFC brings a voice for the youths”, said Subhan. Touching on the consequences of youths not voting for the AFC during the next elections, Subhan said, “We can suffer another 5 years under the same government. A lot of youths complain that they want to see change and they want to leave Guyana. If you don’t make the effort to make the change and stand up for what you believe in, nothing is going to change”. “People need to stop thinking about the past and think about the future and how they can vote to make that difference”, she posited. “Young people have no hope [In Guyana]”.
Hermonstine said that we need change in Guyana. “We need a government that is for the people, and not only take care of the own, or only take care of the people that have money, that they can gain something from. We need a government that can go in and think about us and the well being of us Guyanese”, she said. She said that we need to give another political party a chance since the PPP and PNC ruled for several years. The young lady noted that right now Guyana has “nothing to offer”. “If these girls’ parents (Subhan and Jaikarran) got up and went away, I am sure people can understand why. Guyana has no opportunities. Every Guyanese should be truthful and honest. Guyana has nothing to offer, so if these people went away, that was the smartest thing they could have done”, she noted. She said that hopelessness pervades the country at this time as well.
Nausrudeen said that the latest statistics from the University of Guyana say that 89 per cent or 9 out of 10 persons graduating from UG leave the country within 2 years. “Just about 1 out of 10 persons is left to run, manage and take care of Guyana”, he noted. He stated that the contributions of overseas- based Guyanese can and should play an integral role in their country’s development. “Guyana’s destiny or path to development is linked to Guyanese overseas. Indian and China, he said have developed their country because Chinese and Indians left their countries and educated themselves then returned to their countries, bringing back their skills and investing there. “This country is behind every single country in the Caribbean, except Haiti”, he posited.
He said that he believes sugar workers are working hard and not benefitting. “We have a misfit government investing into an industry that is creating more and more slaves; more and more people who cannot afford a car. Investing $200M in Skeldon Estate, and it is a dysfunctional factory. Today it is major corruption”, he noted. He said a cane cutter’s life is very tough. “Getting up at 4 [AM] in the morning; you gotta get food and you walk to the truck and you go to the back dam in inhumane conditions. You gotta go to the field to the punt from a 10 inch board, a lot of people get hurt and it takes years to get their health benefits. There’s a lot of injustice. It is a vicious cycle of poverty”, he noted.
“Guyana is capable of much more progress and youths can bring about that change”, said Jaikarran. The 2 US- based youths said that it is not a bed of roses either in the United States but that you must work hard enough with 2 or 3 jobs, but if you work hard enough you can get a car and that hard work pays in the U.S. but not in Guyana. She said that if she had stayed in Guyana she would not have achieved all that she has achieved “I would not be having the opportunities I am having now”, she noted.
AFC Website
Leon Suseran Website