OUTDATED COLONIAL MODEL OF GOVERNANCE
Corruption, crime and the lack of lasting progress and prosperity have been major problems for Guyana since its attainment of independence 52 years ago. Governments, past and present have failed to solve these problems, which suggests that the country needs a new model of government to solve them and with a constitution to reinforce it.
Crime in particular, is considered the number one problem in the country and instead of finding a lasting solution. Governments have applied band aid or palliative solutions. The reason is Governments have seen crime as a criminal act.
Years went by with no real lasting change because governments have been treating the symptoms of crime and not the root causes of it. At best, there have been temporary lulls, but not enough to be transformational to have an impact on society.
The truth is that crime is a social problem that requires social solutions. According to Sociologists, it is the result of possibly two root causes: selfishness and greed to meet needs and injustice and the need for survival.
An in-depth look at crime and violence reveals that selfishness and greed to meet needs is a problem manifested in the society. The injustices and need for survival is also a problem manifested in the society. Both are immoral.
History has shown that crime and violence were not as prevalent during the foundations of the nation. At independence, there were only a few murders and few serious crimes. Careful analysis will show that most crimes have their roots in a poor moral and spiritual foundation. They began during the constructional framework of nation building in the 1970s. They were injected into the nation by the rapid increase in political tribalism, racial politics and injustice. This altered the social landscape of the country and multiplied the social problems.
With this reality, any social intervention of significance must be curative to address this unwanted social injection into society. Solving crime must begin from its roots. Founder of Collegiate Empowerment in the U.S, Anthony J D’Angelo said, “When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.”
There are other perceived social problems in society such as corruption, inadequate health care and poor education. The latter exists in several public schools, many of which lack resources and are underperforming and failing our children. These may be foundation issues, but they are created by our own actions.
Our quest for progress and prosperity and the inability to be curative in problem solving rests in the philosophical base of the colonial model of government inherited from Britain, which suggests that the people exist to serve the State and not the State to serve the people.
This is contrary to the accepted philosophy in First World countries, which states that the State exists to serve the people and empower them for wealth creation. This has made the entire societal construct and approach in the developed countries different from the underdeveloped countries.
The colonial governance model is also reflected in our taxation and our public service system by the negative attitudes of many public servants toward the citizens. It is not a people-centric approach and it does not treat citizens as first-class.
It does not empower and enrich the people but controls and maybe inadvertently impoverishes them. It has made almost every situation challenging for them.
The colonial model of governance and its supporting systems and structures are outdated and should be changed to effectively solve problems such as crime and violence, build a new and prosperous Guyana and provide a better life for all.
