Engaging People

GOVERNANCE of a country is a challenging and demanding task, especially when it comes to dealing with people with different and competing interests; but most of these challenges could be solved by maintaining connection with the people, and importantly, delivering on promises made.

The importance of the latter two points cannot be underestimated as the consequences in recent years have been laid bare for all to see. Many would recall the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coming to power in 2015 after selling a long list of promises to the populace and winning the hearts of many nontraditional supporters, who at the time believed that a change in government was needed.

Even though their election to office was deemed questionable in some quarters, the fact at the end of the day was that they managed to wrestle political power from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

But having gained power they failed miserably in their efforts to legitimately maintain it and this may largely be due to the nature of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), which was the dominant force in the coalition.

The PNC is notorious for rigging elections and through this means held on to power for 28 years. So where did the Coalition fail after passing step one, that is, winning political power? The answer is simple. The leaders of the Coalition on gaining political power began to rule the country from the proverbial ivory tower.

And by virtue of this, the connection with its base prior to the elections waned significantly as their years went by in office.

This was made worse when supporters, both traditional and nontraditional, began to see the promises made by the Coalition as giving ‘false hopes’ and ‘selling dreams’ to win votes with the sole objective of occupying the seat of power and to enjoy the concomitant benefits of such offices.

Of course, they were other internal reasons for the coalition’s failures, such as a breakdown in communication among parties and unilateral decisions by the dominant player in the coalition, but neglect of their base and their failure to deliver on prom - ises made to the people were the primary reasons they lost power.

As one of the oldest political parties in Guyana, the PPP/C has demonstrated that it is on a mission to correct its missteps, while at the same time building a Guyana that is modern, inclusive and prosperous for all.

Its strategy is a simple one. From the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and ministers, right down to senior government officials are required to meet with the people, listen and provide solutions to their concerns.

This approach has seen government out- reaches being held throughout Guyana and regular interfacing between government ministers and members of the public on a daily basis, dealing with issues from fixing of roads, alleviating floods and making education more accessible, to bringing people together for the greater good of Guyana.

Based on the outcomes, these engagements are genuine and designed to minimise if not solve issues affecting residents. There are many examples here, but space will not permit the listing of all of them in this editorial.