TAKING A STANCE AGAINST ARBITRARY RULE
Feb 02, 2017 , http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....inst-arbitrary-rule/
In Guyana as in other countries, education is considered the cornerstone of a genuine democracy. Education is linked to the principle that ultimate power resides in the people and in Lord Acton’s concept that ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely.’
But many in Guyana believe that power lies with the ruling elite. That said, education enables those in authority to effectively govern the country.
Without proper education or the means to acquire it, the country’s much cherished development would be stalled. It would be nothing but a prologue to a farce. Education provides politicians and public officials with the ability to think rationally. It is an important attribute for making prudent decisions and successfully implementing and navigating them to fruition.
Such an approach will justify faith in governance and among the citizens that education is an implied premise of a functional democratic system which is crucial for the development of the country.
Education is fundamental to the building of society based on fairness, equality and justice. It helps citizens to discharge their civic duty fairly and without fear or favor. It enhances the decision-making process, and helps citizens understand how political decisions impact their lives, their communities and society as a whole. Education provides the nation with the fortitude to hold the government accountable and the pathways to help democracy flourish.
Over the years, education has helped the country’s diverse society which comprises several groups, each having its own unique and specific identity, beliefs, demands, needs and preferences to thrive.
Differences of opinion often give rise to conflicts. However, education has helped to effectively mediate disparities and resolve the conflicts that arise from them.
Negotiation, compromise and tolerance are intrinsic values of education in societies whose goal is to craft acceptable, logical, impartial and unbiased solutions to problems. It is said that the success of a society depends on its people being educated, informed and knowledgeable about their needs.
For over a decade, the people were consumed by a group of headstrong and mindless leaders whose pursuit was self-interest and the restriction of their freedom. Their restraint on the people was intolerable and their disregard of the rule of law was indefensible.
Steeped in corruption, these leaders had abandoned the principles of good governance for self-interest and greed. They had lost their reasoning and rationality and did not govern with wisdom and fairness and in the interest of the people. Their limitless desire for wealth and blind ambition for power was fed by big money and this coupled with their narrow agendas, vindictiveness, greed, public threats and the abuse of the people’s rights and power became the seal of their governance.
In that period, our democracy was threatened, because the people were scared to challenge the authority. It seems that they did not invest sufficiently in learning the functions of the state. Many were scared to question the leaders about their policy choices on matters of the economy, crime, high unemployment, ethics or the social, economic and political marginalization of a certain ethnic group.
Others were swayed by their propaganda, distortions and lies and were charmed by empty promises and idle talk. Today, the government is saddled with the costly financially blunders, mismanagement of the country’s resources and the inept policies of the last administration—all of which could have been avoided by the prudent exercise of power.
The government must change course even if it has to hire experts from overseas to navigate a new direction. Many in the cabinet may not yet acquire the wisdom of how to manage their portfolios, but they should know that the failures of the last administration were disastrous to the country and cannot continue. They must use their political acumen implement policies to improve the well-being of the masses and to fulfill the desired destiny of the people.
The shackles of ignorance and apathy that spawned misrule and threatened our democracy must be removed permanently. Education will help the common people take a stance against arbitrarily rulers.