Editorial – June 7, 2013
We begin with just a few quotes, gathered from around the world and in particular our region with the hope that they are read and might inspire some minds to seek progress and prosperity for all.
The truth is that power corrupts. The Caribbean Press has not been spared the ugliness of the tarnish of corruption that has become so entrenched and so pervasive in Guyana that people, including those who govern, no longer recognise corrupt acts as fundamentally wrong and detrimental to the proper functioning of the society. No doubt the minister’s daughter is talented – several have attested to her promise as a writer. But contrary to Professor Dabydeen’s assertions in his letter (Stabroek News, 21/5/2013), surely she cannot be the sole writer of promise among her generation or any generation in Guyana today?
“An active media and active citizenry can make for a powerful inspection mechanism for politicians. If you want to make an inept politician shake, tell him or her that both the press and his constituents are demanding to speak with him or her and have some tough questions to ask. Sleeping voters and a passive media are an ill-intentioned politician’s dream. Our world needs drastic improvements in governance. If any improvement is to come, alert, attentive and active citizens must rise up and demand it. The more alert, attentive and active, the greater the improvement is likely to be.” – Economist and motivational speaker, Zhivargo Laing. “You need your team’s trust, and you build that trust by being honest.” – Dick Costolo, CEO, Twitter (Inc.).
Our airports and our airlines:
“Our airport is not only the gateway to this side of paradise, it is a major regional hub servicing neighboring islands like St. Barths, Anguilla, Saba, and St. Eustatius.” – Regina LaBega, Managing Director, Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten “The Caribbean should create a single Caribbean airspace to facilitate the development of air transportation. With prices lower and the elimination of red tape, the private sector will jump into the fray to create the long awaited highways in the sky that are now missing on scores of intra Caribbean routes. What the Caribbean desperately needs is not more asphalt roads on islands but lower cost, air bridges between countries. What is more, such an action will surely make many airlines less dependent on, if not take them completely off, the public trough.” – Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, former tourism minister of the Bahamas and former Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (Caribbean Journal).
Do we still boast that our people do not read, or like to read?
It has been said in surprising circles that even if reading material was made available very few would read it. Sadly, that comment was made with reference to public servants.
Since that comment we began to note that much of the weaknesses, failures, unwillingness to understand the real purpose of the services that are provided reluctantly if not all together, rarely, come from that fact that most people just do not read to learn.
Reports merely gather dust, and it is easy to do what the person before did.
It is a certainty that if only few are prepared to read and learn therefrom, chaos and failure will be the norm. None of the progress that come from those ideals in our caption will be realised.
