Guyana Has Become a Brutish Individualist Country

Dear Editor,

Guyana has become, increasingly, a brutish individualist country, where consideration for others, respect for rules and a sense of collective responsibility appear to be disappearing from everyday life.

This brutishness is not confined to politics. It can be seen everywhere — in government offices, on our roads, in traffic, in workplaces and in the way people interact with one another. Courtesy is too often regarded as weakness. Patience is in short supply, while aggression, entitlement and the determination to get ahead at another person’s expense have become increasingly common.

Our roads provide perhaps the clearest illustration. Drivers routinely disregard traffic lights, overtake recklessly, block intersections, use shoulders to bypass traffic and drive with little regard for pedestrians or other motorists. Road safety has become a national concern, yet the behaviour of many road users demonstrates how little regard we have developed for the lives of others.

The same attitude can be observed in government offices, where citizens sometimes encounter indifference, disrespect or an apparent reluctance to accept responsibility. In too many instances, the ordinary citizen is made to feel that public officials are doing him or her a favour rather than performing a public duty.

Political leadership matters because it influences national culture. Much of the responsibility for this deterioration must therefore rest with the leadership of the PPP/C under Bharrat Jagdeo and President Irfaan Ali. Their years in positions of national leadership have coincided with a political environment in which partisan loyalty, access to power and material advancement frequently appear to overshadow accountability, civility and the common good.

Guyana’s oil wealth has magnified these problems. Instead of producing a stronger sense of national solidarity, the sudden expansion of wealth has intensified competition for access, influence and opportunity. We should be asking what kind of country we are becoming.

Economic growth cannot compensate for the erosion of decency. New roads, buildings and programmes mean little if citizens become increasingly intolerant, aggressive and indifferent to one another.

Guyana needs a restoration of civic responsibility, respect for the law, courtesy and accountability. Government must lead by example, but citizens must also recognise that nation-building is not simply the responsibility of politicians.

A prosperous country should not merely produce wealth. It should produce citizens who understand that their freedom and success cannot come at the expense of everyone around them.

Yours truly,
Samantha Taylor