High stakes and a defining moment

Dear Editor,

The dawn of a new year always brings with it a renewed sense of hope and optimism. With the advent of First Oil and the impending national and regional elections, that hope and optimism is all the more pronounced. There is a pervasive mood of enhanced expectation that, at long last, the country is now on the verge of something great, leaving behind the stigma of a poor and wretched past.

The overwhelming desire among Guyanese is to get the elections out of the way and for the new administration to put in place the necessary mechanisms to optimize the benefits of oil that will come our way. The expectation is that the oil resources will be utilized to lift the bottom, namely the poor and the vulnerable, and to create new opportunities for those who are otherwise financially challenged.

The outcome of the elections on March 2, 2020 will be a critical factor in the management of the emerging oil and gas sector, and for that matter, the economy as a whole. This coming election is described as the ‘mother of all elections’, coming as it were, on the cusp of an oil tsunami projected to lift all boats.

This is why the whole of Guyana and the international community is paying so much attention to these upcoming elections. The stakes are very high and the outcome of the election could very well turn out to be a defining moment in the economic and political fortunes of this beautiful country.
As indicated earlier, the nation is pregnant with hope. Expectations are high. Guyanese are looking forward to free and fair elections. There are some encouraging indications in this regard. The United States and some other western nations have issued some strong statements in favour of free and fair elections.

The presence of a strong contingent of local and overseas observer groups will help in terms of voter confidence. However, that in itself may not be adequate. The Guyana Elections Commission has to display total and complete impartiality in the decision-making processes and in the overall conduct of the poll.

Whichever party or parties emerge as winners in the elections will have a major responsibility to govern in the interests of all Guyanese. The issue of ethnic insecurity has to be addressed and a way has to be found by the new administration to accommodate our political and ethnic diversity. We have to transform diversity into strengths in order to create a win-win situation.

The elections fever is catching on. The festival of colours is already in evidence on our streets and public spaces. The campaign for all practical purposes has already begun and will certainly gain momentum in the weeks ahead. At the end of day, the better party will prevail, as in the case of any competitive contest.
I take this opportunity to wish all Guyanese a prosperous New Year!

Hydar Ally