PLACING OLD WINES IN NEW BOTTLES

The old saying that out of every bad can come some good, but the challenge, however, is to spot the good and embrace it.  Human nature, being what it is, has caused people to dwell mostly on the negative, which could overshadow and eclipse the positive.
For centuries, history has been the driving force behind every major leap of human progress. It is the awesome transformative power of new ideas which, once unleashed, could trigger a groundswell of changes in Guyana to benefit the poor and the working class.
However, there are but a few examples of the transformative power of new ideas in the country. What stands out in society is that new ideas, especially from youths have always encountered opposition from those in authority.
Outside-the-box thinkers who come up with alternative and better ways of doing things are initially considered crazy or, as some would say, have a few screws missing. For Guyana to develop and progress in the knowledge base-driven economy of the 21st century, an environment must exist for new ideas to emerge to replace the traditional ones.
Encouraging and embracing new ideas is somewhat of an enigma in Guyana which, over the years, has made substantial investment in education. While there is never a shortage of new ideas from the citizens who are eager to contribute to the economic and human development of the country, accepting them is difficult for a government which is somewhat anti-intellectual.
Outside-the-box thinking and creativity have always been stifled in Guyana, thus leaving most of the major institutions intellectually bankrupt. And the political establishment has very seldom articulated new and innovative ideas to motivate and inspired the people, particularly the youths.
It is estimated that more than 60 percent of the electorate are youths, but most of them are truly disappointed due to the fact that the government has overwhelmingly appointed pensioners to senior positions in government.
Instead of unleashing the energies of the youths and provide them with the right opportunities to be creative and develop new ideas, the government continues to place old wine in new bottles which is very risky in that it could alienate the youths who probably will not vote in the next election.
Furthermore, the pending appointments of high profile PPP officials to senior government positions will not win over East Indian support. Presidents Burnham and Hoyte went down this path before but failed to attract East Indian voters because of the deep racial divide in Guyana.
It is said that people, especially the wise, learn from the mistakes of others, but not this government. It is either the administration is confused, or it does not know how to govern. The appointment of more than 30 personnel as ministerial advisors on Diaspora affairs is absurd. Is this a novel idea or just plain silly politics to appease some disgruntled APNU and AFC supporters in the diaspora? Whatever it is, it is undisputable that it is a total disrespect of the serious nature of governmental advisers.
Advisers to government have always been high ranking and professionally trained officials who are schooled in the craft with the artistry to critically analyze and judiciously assess acute situations.
It is alleged that no specific tasks were assigned to the advisers and that they are no economists, social scientists or political scientists in the midst. Advising governments is time consuming; it requires scholarly research beyond the internet and philosophical and consummate knowledge of the political, economic and social environment.
The fact that these advisers are paid one dollar per year and were not given a framework or a structure as a guide suggests the triviality of their role. Would they be charged with the task of providing advice to the government on how to expand the tourist industry, improve the economy, reduce crime and poverty and improve the lives of the poor?
Or is it their task only to organize street parades, picnics in parks and other social functions in the diaspora to commemorate Guyana’s 50th independence anniversary. This may very well be an important undertaking.