Pt 2- We must find the will to hold all governments accountable
Good governance is important to everyone and for the development of society. Good governance ensures the protection of basic rights and security, respect for the Rule of Law, proper management of the state and the equitable distribution of the resources of the nation. Our will to advance this must not be compromised by which party we support or whoever forms the government because we lose integrity and the essence of humanity. All governments, bar none, must be held accountable to universally acceptable principles and guidelines. The current regime has almost free reign and it speaks to a sense of apathy in our society. Our generation must appear no longer to be insensitive to human rights violations, social and human degradation, violence – be it domestic, criminal, or executive.
We must no longer be seen to be insensitive to the cries and pains of others. Such apathy is palpable. We, comrades cannot fail this generation and the next by teaching them to be complacent when history has taught us that complacency was favoured by the oppressors to the detriment of the oppressed. We must be our brothers and sisters’ keeper and stand up for only what is right and raise hell when things go wrong. We must not allow the facilitation of any act by any government that would seek to deny, marginalise or oppress another. For their deprivation poses a clear and present threat to the provision of all.
As we stand in defence of our rights and freedoms so must we stand for others if we are to create an environment for good governance to be nurtured. We must find the will to hold all governments accountable. These are principles we can, and we must aspire to lift this country out of the morass and put us on a path that will guarantee the rights, happiness, liberty and prosperity for all in an environment where the laws are supreme and the voice of all are heard and respected.
And whereas we all belong to the human race, diversity is a socio–economic characteristic of our existence, and it is here to stay as evident in our gender, physical traits, age, class, creed, interests, to name some. Diversity can be positive when rooted in a belief that inclusive relations are reliant on working together, respecting self and others, developing a sense of community and collaborating with others to achieve a common goal, which for us as Guyanese has been the task to foster nationhood on the unified principle of “One People One Nation One Destiny. “
When diversity is used as a wedge, as has happened from the creation of our society, and which intensifies today, even though our nation is signatory to universal human rights declarations and international conventions, also enshrined in the Constitution, it opens doors to discrimination, distrust and division to the detriment of both the villain and victim, even though the former may have a false sense of security and longevity. In recognition of this and in efforts to create the environment for peaceful co-existence, underpinned by the principle of justice and equality; declarations, conventions and constitutions are structures put in place to forge harmonious and respecting relations among humankind.
This is Labour’s dream, and it is a dream deeply rooted in the United Nations’ affirmation that: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” It is a dream being made possible in other lands and many of us leave these shores to experience these rights that others laid down their lives for – that now forms such a natural part of the lives of others that like air it is sometimes taken for granted.
