The current elections climate has once again reminded us of how polarised the nation is; and perhaps now, more than ever, there is need for all stakeholders — including the incoming administration, political parties, civil society groups, religious leaders, and more particularly the Ethnic Relations Commission — to renew their efforts in forging ethnic harmony in the country.
As expected, the elections campaigns were intense, as the various parties competed for political power in the high-stakes elections. With the use of certain mobile technology and accompanying high-speed internet, almost every action or reaction from political parties, their representatives, or even supporters, was publicised in real time via the various social media platforms.
In addition to the two major political parties trying to outdo each other, their supporters were also very occupied in trading barbs, and sometimes even launching vicious attacks against each other via their comments on social media. In a few instances, some even took the time to appear in videos, engaged in racially insensitive rantings as if they were misled to believe that they cannot be prosecuted for such behaviour.
The truth is that quite a lot of content being generated in the form of “comments” on social media platforms in relation to the political elections in Guyana cannot be regarded as informative and healthy debates, and as a result, they do more harm than good.
We have also noted that much of this content is being created by Guyanese in the Disapora, some of whom do not have any interest in coming back here or in contributing to this country’s development. They do this in the guise that they still care about what is happening in their home country. This is quite acceptable, but the problem arises when their contributions to the political debates border on racism.
Very soon, it is expected that the results of the elections will be officially declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and the party that got the most votes will form the next government. The parliamentary representatives of the various parties will be named, Parliament will convene, and the business of the country will go on.
However, one cannot ignore the fact that the population is fractured at the moment. Race relations are at an all-time low, and it would require serious work by all stakeholders to change the situation.
Stakeholders must begin immediately to address the many challenges confronting citizens, not only as those relate to achieving our developmental aims, but also as they relate to fostering peace and ethnic harmony among the citizenry.
We call on all Guyanese to desist from making racially motivated remarks, which can incite others and contribute even more to the high level of tension in the society. Citizens must be aware that they can attract penalties when they engage in such behaviour, as they can be prosecuted for offences under the Racial Hostility and Representation of the People Acts, as well as under the cybercrime laws.
We urge the ERC to continue being vigilant in its monitoring of both the mainstream media and the various social media sites in order to flag racially insensitive content and to take appropriate actions where necessary. The capacity of the ERC in carrying out its constitutional mandate would certainly be tested in the coming days, and it is our hope that it would be able to deliver in an efficient, fair and transparent manner.
Our political leaders also have a crucial role to play. We expect them to put country above partisan interests. They must rein in their supporters, and insist that they behave responsibly, as the nation’s future is at stake. This is the kind of political leadership that is needed at this time.
Even as we await the final declaration from GECOM, our hope is that every Guyanese would exercise tolerance and respect for each other throughout their daily lives. Now that Guyana is about to benefit fully from the revenues accruing from its oil resources, the possibilities for development are endless, but those would be difficult to achieve in a society where peace and harmony are absent.
