All is not lost
Editorial
There were two very heartening pieces in our Sunday paper. The first was a letter by Mr Rajendra Poonai who recounts leaving the debacle at Bourda cricket ground to discover that his car had been damaged while it had been parked outside. As he was reconciling himself to paying for the damage a gentleman approached him and said the car he was driving had done the damage. He gave his name and number and turned up the next day to pay for the damage. The second was an advertisement by William G. Scott and Michael R. Schipper, President and Vice-President respectively of Green Construction and Mining Corporation. They had both worked in Guyana for many years managing bauxite stripping and mining operations and are leaving. The ad was addressed to all former employees who had worked for the Green companies. In part of it they said: "We were unable to meet with all of you to express our heartfelt thanks. You were the best group of mining/construction personnel we have ever worked with. Any future employer would be very fortunate to have you as employees". It was a moving tribute from men with a lot of experience in the field here and elsewhere. It was encouraging for Guyana, again it showed all is not lost. Indeed we hear stories every day of Guyanese who have gone abroad and done very well. They respond to the atmosphere, the challenge, the recognition that they have to perform and be accountable to achieve recognition and success and that if they do they can go far. These American managers from Green in Guyana were obviously able to motivate those who worked for them to produce the high quality of work they are capable of. What is the problem? The general atmosphere in Guyana is sour and poisoned. This is a combination of several things. First, and above all, the lack of achievement and the prevailing underdevelopment. There is little to feel good about. The country has virtually stagnated for at least three decades and the alienation this has produced has been compounded by the emigration and the splitting of families. Secondly, ethnic `identity' politics sets no premium on ability or performance but panders to tribalism and reaction It also tends to be defensive and self-reinforcing and to inculcate negative attitudes. Thirdly, educational levels have fallen inducing an increasing feeling of hopelessness and an inability to cope and thus resentment. The two main political parties, in their deadly and perverse embrace of each other, are sitting on the creativity of the society. The negative politics that has been spawned diverts much of what energy remains and the players are trapped in the arena they have created. Those who can't bear the tawdry political miasma that emerges retreat into themselves or join the diaspora. The possibilities exist but they can't emerge. It is frustrating, like seeing something but not being able to get to it. All is not lost, indeed, but smothered and frustrated. A country that could be flourishing languishes in backwardness. One must hope that the renewed dialogue will not prove to be a third false start and that the parties will approach it with a due awareness that this is potentially an historic opportunity and that a by now deeply cynical society will watch to see if the opportunities can be grasped to open up a new dispensation. 
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