Region 10 need leaders to be bold and inspiring

Dear Editor,
It will sound strange that, for more than 56 years, the PNC/PNCR controlled Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), and most of the development you will see there happened under a PPP/C Government.
I have seen many of the same faces being recycled in the leadership roles of Region 10 for as long as I can remember. During my cadetship at GuyMine Steam Power Plant in 1980, many of these people were in the RDC as councillors, and today they are still looking for a place on the council.
We must change this mindset, Region 10, and strive for development. I always believe that development is about improving the well-being of every individual in society, so they can reach their full potential. The success of society is linked to the well-being of each and every citizen, and to investing in people. It requires the removal of barriers, so that all citizens can journey towards their dreams with confidence and dignity. It is about refusing to accept that people who live in poverty will always be poor. It is about helping people so they can move forward on their own path to embracing the opportunity to grow, develop their own skills, and contribute to their families and communities in a meaningful way. If they are healthy, well-educated and trained to enter the workforce, and are able to make a decent wage, they are better equipped to meet their basic needs and be successful. Their families would also do well, and the whole of society would benefit.
Under the new PPP/C Administration, Linden and Region 10 would again be made strong. However, we, as leaders, must see our region and communities’ problems get solved. Who would come together to move the needle on the complex problems we’re facing in Region 10? The leaders in our communities. That’s people like you, me, our colleagues and neighbours, our elected officials, our business leaders, our philanthropists and impact investors. We’re all in this together.
The problems we have now in Region 10, Linden and our communities are going to be resolved only when we are brought together by the common realisation that each of us is a visionary, instead of looking for a great leader. We are in an era when each of us needs to find the great leader in ourselves.
Leaders of social change have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on this region we call home. However, a special kind of leadership is required for comprehensive, collaborative problem-solving; we need leaders who think “big picture”.
So much of what we hear about leadership in Region 10 focuses on how to lead a political party to success, but it is time to turn our attention to our region and community’s success. The most provocative belief that the system’s leaders hold is simply this: “Continuing to do what we are currently doing, but doing it harder or smarter is not likely to produce very different outcomes.
Real change must start now, with recognising that we are part of the systems we seek to change. There is a humility in admitting that in order to change less-than-perfect systems, we must start with ourselves.
The kind of regional and community problems we’re addressing are big, embedded, and are just plain hard. The quick, simple approaches often do not work. The kind of leadership needed to solve these problems sometimes takes new, creative approaches. It takes a leader who is open to new ways of thinking. To lead social change in our region and communities, we need people who know that individually they don’t have all the answers, but together we can find the answers. We all need to transform our thinking. We need to consider innovative approaches (be they time-tested or even a little risky). We need leaders to be bold and inspiring, and guide us to go beyond our comfort level.
We have to bring hope to our region and our communities. That is why we need, in our RDC, leaders who would leave a lasting impression and truly believe in regional community development with our collective ability to meet the diverse needs of our citizens and residents. More than that, they must be willing to mould this hope and serve as catalysts for community problem-solving and collaborative action, not be passive bystanders or armchair generals.
Our community needs you, and we all need each other. Let’s have the audacity to be the change we want to see in our region and communities. In an effort to accomplish our best results in this, our regional executive officer and regional chairman must work across party lines in the best interest of the people and the region. Our President made it clear that his Government is for every Guyanese in every region, and as such, we must execute our regional development plan for the next five years.
Minister Nigel Dharamlall has said that, as part of plans for the new Government headed by President Irfaan Ali, the focus would be to promote the efficient functioning of local democratic organs, which could benefit people in the communities that they reside.
According to the Minister, there will be greater collaboration with communities, and decisions of the Government would be derived from consultations with citizens.

Sincerely,
David Adams