Kaieteur News
PAGE 04
Wednesday January 30, 2019
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
EDUCATION AND POOR CHOICES
L
ong ago, the term “hard ears” was commonly used in Guyana, mostly by parents and teachers, to warn children who were determined to have their way and who stubbornly refused to heed the warnings, advice and instructions of elders. It was meant to let children know that their behaviour was obnoxious and that the choices they were making would inevitably lead to consequences. Today, the term is hardly being used, and it would appear that many parents seem to have lost control of their children or tend to act as if they do not care. Amid growing concerns about deviancy, indiscipline and bullying in schools by a small minority of students, it is an opportune time for youths, especially those entering secondary school for the first time, to understand how important it is to make wise choices, including staying away from crime and gangs, and heed the advice of parents and teachers that will serve them in good stead in the future. Schools should not be the place to settle conflicts or to create violence, but unfortunately, this has been the situation in many instances. The purpose of schools is to educate children and equip them with the necessary skills and attitude to be productive. During the early post-independence period, a good education was the key to a prosperous and bright future and many Guyanese, including those who were not born into great wealth, obtained a good education. Today, this is hardly the case as too many of our students, regardless of their socio-economic status, are being distracted by the lure of the illegal drug trade and criminality. Materialism and money, whether obtained legally or not, seem to be the opium of youths. Even though quite a few of today’s children may be from wealthy families, a probe into their family history two or three generations ago would reveal relative poverty. Their upward mobility would have been the result of having a good education and making the best of it. It stands to reason that the wisest choice for the children today is for them to continue to do their best in the pursuit of a good education. But this can only be achieved by a change in our culture which places more emphasis on a glamorous lifestyle and less on the importance of education, which is a timeless vocation. In this regard, the term “hard ears” is as relevant today as it was many decades ago. Like the past, those who are imprisoned today have shown signs of being on this path from their school days. They were in most cases under achievers in school for various reasons. It is unfortunate that many are functionally illiterate. Was it solely the result of bad choices on the part of the students or was it a case of a poor education system. The answer lies in both. As a country, if we are truly serious about becoming the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business, then we need to reform the antiquated education system bequeathed to us by Britain. One of the major concerns is that there are too many Band-Aid solutions to solve the deep-rooted problems. The government cannot continue to patch up a shabby education system. It has a duty to ensure that everyone gets a good education in order to boost their potential and bring out the best in them.
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
The King got his just deserts Dear Editor, In the Fables of Aesop, there is the story of how a bad King suddenly changed his behaviour and became a good one. Asked why, he relates a story about animals coming to bad ends when they try to do bad things. Aha! The moral of this very interesting fable is that whoever does what he ought not to, receives what he does not want. In Georgetown, the story regarding our ‘King’ is considerably different. Unlike that King who made such an alteration in his conduct that he gained the name of “The Just,” with every one blessing the felicity of his reign, ours instead decided to get more greedy, more ruthless and more immoral with the passage of time and would not have stopped had it not been for the intervention of
the Commission of Inquiry. He could not have been massively taken aback by hearing the words ‘You’re Fired!’ as he must have known that was inevitable. Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit. In his case, it was the other way around. One can only conclude that it was he and other chaps at City Hall that authored of the popular game ‘Sea of Thieves’. But firing the ‘King’ must be considered just a very small first step in addressing the looting of City Hall. The trail of theft cannot and must not be left just like that. The brazenness, the vengeance of the plundering, the boldness of the crime wave, the audacity of the heist cannot be just swept over with a mere firing.What has
happened at City Hall over the last three years makes the Banco Central Burglary in Brazil, the Brink’s-MAT Robbery in London and the Central Bank of Iraq Robbery in Baghdad look like child’s play. Unlike the Bernie Madoff scandal where few people outside of Wall Street had heard of Bernard Madoff before he confessed to his epic US$65 billion fraud in 2008, in this i n s t a n c e t h e ‘ K i n g ’s ’ activities were well known to many, some of whom in several instances conspired with him. One can only hope that the others who were cited in the same report for d e r e l i c t i o n o f d u t y, incompetence, and conspiracy, and who are still at City Hall nonchalantly carrying out their tasks as though nothing has happened, would be dealt
with summarily and condignly. Dealing with one offender whilst allowing the others to continue with business as usual is material for a ‘Carry-On’ movie. Just as importantly, a systematic and timely effort to see the return of the stolen assets of the Council and the City must be urgently undertaken. The Local Government Commission must focus as well on putting in place the legal frameworks, institutional expertise, and the skills necessary to trace and return stolen assets from local authorities. This is the only way to develop the most effective tools to tackle and prevent the further theft of assets critical to the development our cities and towns. Sincerely, Mark Roopan
Ethics seems to be sorely missing in Guyana Dear Editor, It will take volumes to adequately analyse a discourse in values, ethics and laws in relation to Guyana’s politics. However, given the series of political related events that unfolded over the past months, these important tenets need to be addressed in the most simple and comprehendible manner possible. Our young people are paying attention and it is frightening to imagine what the possible take away can morph into. We must safeguard their future and cultivate good moral principles in the prevailing environment to foster a healthy society. Each of us will instinctively define ethics through our own personal experience. There is one fact we must keep in mind, “ethics is dynamic”. In general, ethics is the way we relate to another human being or group of human beings. This relationship needs to be built upon such values as trust, justice and integrity. In a nutshell, then, ethics is about relating to another person through the “lens of trust”. It is the relational glue that allows us to trust each other in order that we may live together in a creative, rather than a destructive, tension. With this in mind, let us briefly reflect on three incidents, among the many others that can be placed under the ethical microscope. First, the No Confidence
Motion tabled by the opposition, and the subsequent developments surrounding the motion. What should have been relatively straightforward constitutional prescriptions were deliberately twisted and contrived into complex legal deliberations, clearly orchestrated by the government to buy time in office.Second. GECOM being the independent agency it is, more than one month after the no confidence motion was carried by the National Assembly cannot give an election date, nor at the time of penning this letter, still cannot come up with a realistic timeline in which it is practical to run off national and regional elections. A cursory glance from afar, gives the impression that GECOM is not treating this matter with the level of urgency that it deserves. Why? Third, the selection of the opposition’s presidential candidate, I have never seen
such an outcry by the general public and more importantly, party supporters, against a politician before. The PPP/C presidential candidate whilst selected through a process that is dubbed democratic, it is crystal clear, as admitted by the general secretary of that p a r t y, t h a t h e w a s instrumental in getting the candidate elected and he has no apologies. After much introspection, regrouping and openly admitting that arrogance and complacency placed them on the opposition bench, now this! If the candidates were to be voted for by the broader PPP membership, would the results be the same?The adage, “you can’t legislate ethical behaviour” comes to mind. What is really going down in the beloved motherland? Are either of the two sides relating to the people of Guyana through the “lens of trust”? Is this the political climate that will continue to prevail into the
future? Recently, I read a piece carried by the BBC on Guyana and the tone of that news article reminded me of a story by Flora Squires titled “The Hustlers”, the narrative of two undertakers, Grasper and Grabbit, who in their pitiful self interest would stop at nothing to be favoured for the job of burying a village dead. What bothered me most is how the country is being viewed and portrayed by others. To all the political groupings, stop setting bad examples, do the right thing, uphold good values and ethics and do not make a mockery of the laws. The time is ripe to cooperate and work together to achieve the best for Guyana. The Guyanese people are humble, contented and in the big picture really do not demand much. Please reciprocate by being respectful, ethical and caring. Yours truly, Andre Dukhia
A Canadian who has some questions Dear Editor, Can the government please tell us where is the (GRANT) free money that Guyana gets for the purpose of building 10,000 septic tanks for the poor people of Guyana? Also where is the (GRANT) free money that Guyana gets to repair STABROEK MARKET CLOCK?At this time, I would also like to inform, that any person from any Commonwealth country can vote in Guyana parliament, and Canada is a Commonwealth country. Let anyone check the law to verify this.
I also like to point out that one local newspaper said that the PPP is willing to let Guyanese contact them through email to say what we expect from the PPP, if they win the election, but the papers did not provide the email address.Can you please publish it so we can give our views? And one thing I want to suggest to the PPP is if they win, I would like for Government to stop taking the 20% withholding tax from our savings account. Thank you for publishing my letter. THANK YOU. MOHAMED AZAD