Darkness has eclipsed the Dawn of a New Era

This weekend Guyanese will be bombarded by the propaganda associated with “The Dawn of a New Era,” and although there have been notable achievements that we recognize, at this time it is equally important to reflect on what more could have been and ought to have been achieved, and why we have failed in those areas after more than two decades.
Today one can’t help but recall the optimism, strong sense of hope and overwhelming spirit of nationalism that ushered in the “New Era” back in 1992.  It is good to note that this was experienced not by one racial group, but by all Guyanese across ethnicities, religions backgrounds and ages.  It was a society infused with feelings that we were finally going to put our checkered and tumultuous past behind us, moving forward creating a new and better Guyana for the benefit of all her citizens.
Twenty-one years later, it is now clear that this has not been achieved, and regrettably it is equally clear that this is no coincidence, but rather a carefully orchestrated plan by our Government to “Institutionalize” the inefficiencies and corruption, and to once again in our history establish a system that is geared to distributing the wealth of Guyana to a few party-in-power supporters and loyalists.
The institutionalization of this approach is clearly visible in the PPP’s persistent refusal to establish parliamentary commissions, renew the Boards of State institutions, and its failure to empower several key agencies with the requisite personnel to guarantee their independence and facilitate the necessary “checks and balances” which is the foundation of any democratic society.
Lest we forget, after twenty–one years some of these glaring failures include:
The failure to establish the Public Procurement Commission, The Judicial Service Commission, The Public Service Appellate Tribunal, the failure to hire an Ombudsman and most recently, the failure to assent to the four local government Bills passed in Parliament  to facilitate the holding of long overdue local government elections is unexplainable and more so unacceptable.
This litany of omissions could never be an oversight, and must be seen as a deliberate strategy to disempower ordinary Guyanese and for a few to hold on to the excesses of power.  If this is not enough, then it is good to remember the revelations coming out of the Freddie Kissoon vs Jagdeo case uttered by the Governments’ Chief Spokesman himself – no speculation there!
We note the scandals that have plagued us year after year – the continued refusal to have NICIL operate within the review of Parliament, the use of taxpayers’ dollars to fund questionable and controversial projects like the Marriott Hotel, and the Airport Expansion Project in partnership with the Chinese Government and companies that refuse to hire local labour in the construction process.  So much for finding jobs for our people!  Instead, Guyanese face the regular display of not working “for the people” but forcing a minority view on the people.
The “Darkness of the New Era” is nowhere better visible than in the rapid degeneration of the security environment since the dawn of 1992.  Over the years we have seen a spiraling out of control increase in the crime, murders, domestic violence and what appears to be drug- or gang-related violence.  The massacre of Minister Sash Shaw, the Bartica and Lusignan massacres and that of hundreds of Guyanese including  the alleged over 400 young black men in Buxton during the infamous crime spree are all dark times.
The now undisputed connection between the Government and organized crime – namely the Roger Khan affair – is all part of the web of illicit activity. Today, the most recent of a string of “friends” of this government now pleading guilty and soon to be jailed for money laundering and wire fraud is growing.
Judge the Government by the friends it keeps?
Casting our minds over the past two decades we are reminded that another new generation of Guyanese has grown up with many now looking for work or ready to migrate.  Given this reality we cannot help but ponder on what we have truly achieved as a people.
Most regrettable and notably absent over the past twenty-one years has been any attempt to address and dispel the perception of racial discrimination and the racial domination of one group over another which continues to fuel the fires of distrust. Why has the government not yet accepted the political dispensation of the last few years, born out of a democratic process? When will they set the tone and take the lead as a Government should in developing a culture of compromise and progress – a government by the people for all people.
All of us  – communities across Guyana, our young people, churches, other religious organisations, political parties, the private sector, civil society and the trade unions have a responsibility to contribute to the process and must  shape that long overdue path towards true development in Guyana.  We must each be able to do this without fear of victimization or destruction of the spirit.
It must by its very nature, at a minimum, include the views, dream and hopes of all sectors of our population.  A society in which constructive debate replaces the “cuss down, cuss out” approach which has limited how we work together and how much we could possibly achieve.
Do we as a nation have the capacity to transcend all of this and build a new Guyana, with strong independent institutions in which transparency and accountability are acceptable norms the society promotes? How much longer, how many more? And given all of this, hasn’t the darkness eclipsed the dawn?