As our economy finally has the wherewithal to develop along the lines of the advanced economies in the US and the EU, which has been our lodestone since the 18th century Industrial Revolution, we should be careful that we do not fall prey to the darker forces that have caused them to fall into the despair that presently transfixes them where their top 10% owns three quarters of the economy and their bottom 10% live in poverty. The human quality of greed and a refusal to work for the common good have been blamed, to a large extent, for this state of affairs.
While there has been no shortage of reasons for greed triumphing over the common good, in Guyana, many claim it is a consequence of the ethnic divisions in our society. But Malaysia, for instance, also has these divisions, and was able to leapfrog divisions to knock on the doors of the First World. If the successful ‘developed’ and developing countries are analysed, more often than not, one would discern a strong sentiment of ‘doing it for my country.’
This emphasis can be measured by the degree to which, emotionally or consciously, people agree that a common good justifies restrictions on the individual, including oneself. It could also be described as the degree to which the members of a society are willing to forego individual advantages if by so doing a larger advantage is secured for the community. Can we say we have this sentiment widespread in Guyana?
A decade ago, noted CUNY political scientist Richard Wolin visited China and asked one worker, “What do people here do on weekends?” The reply, to his surprise, was, “We have no weekends. We have to work hard to pass America!” On his tours across many campuses and cities, he found the same sentiment very widespread. The people were willing to work for what they saw as the good of their country. Because of such an orientation, China has been able to maintain a double-digit growth rate for three decades, and is now the second largest economy in the world – just behind the US.
Japan, which led the thrust for ‘miracle growth’ in the post WWII era, was also helped by a strong patriotic fervor among its people. Many people conveniently forget that the Industrial Revolution in Britain and Europe followed their consolidation as nation states, where the people were willing to sacrifice for ‘King and country”. While the US overthrew the king, its citizens also rallied for the national cause.
In Guyana, we are still at a point where the feeling of ‘we, the people’ has not been inculcated into the psyche of our people. In the absence of such a sentiment, individuals will act only in the interest of their sub group or themselves on an individual basis. Looking out for “No 1” becomes the rallying cry. It is up to the leaders in our society to mobilise these individuals for the ‘common good’.
The PPP is attempting to change this with the “One Guyana” strategy. Unfortunately, the response of the Opposition to the Government’s initiatives in and out of Parliament demonstrates that they are far from harking to this ideal. Whatever one’s political orientation, one has to concede that President Ali’s aggressive moves across “the divide” is more in consonance with the common good than the divisive calls to only “support your own”. Guyanese should compare the differential rates of development in the Far East, where exertion for the common good is commonplace, and that of let’s say Africa, where most countries are riven along ethnic lines. We must do better.
In societies lacking an ethos of the common good, people do what is advantageous for themselves, and have no qualms in abandoning principles or changing sides when it is beneficial to them. This expedient behaviour also encourages corruption. Corruption is not just a problem of political systems; it’s an attitudinal problem. Persons little inclined to accept personal disadvantages for the common good are easily corrupted.
