Bishop calls on politicians to reconcile

GUYANA

In his greetings for the New Year, Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB said that the country’s leaders would do well to acknowledge the extent to which the people, particularly the youth, have lost confidence in the broader political process, and to grasp the opportunity now presented to reshape Guyana’s future.

The Bishop of Georgetown believed that Guyana needs, in the immediate period ahead, to instil renewed hope in the people of the nation, increase the accountability of elected leaders to the people as opposed to the parties, and promote the reconciliation needed for growth in socio-political trust in the country.

He, however, applauded the “maturity” of the utterance of the political leaders, the President, Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in particular, “for respecting the outcome of the recent no-confidence motion and for signalling their intent to engage each other,” the Catholic Standard reported.

The fruits of such engagements, Bishop Alleyne stated, will augur well for the nation’s future and national ability to offer a unified face to the world.

In his message, the Bishop said that the faith tradition is to welcome a “New Time” with hope, expectation, confidence and a desire to embrace new possibilities that will open ways to new life. “I sincerely wish this for everyone,” the Bishop said.

Cognisant that for Guyana, the New Year opened in a state of transition with the gaze of the nation on the political leaders, he assured the leaders of Government and Opposition have stated their interest, even necessity, in engaging each other and working together with others on a way forward for the nation.

“May 2019 be that time in which conscious initiatives are undertaken by leaders and people to form communion and give life to the words ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’,” the Bishop said.

Catholic Standard stated Bishop Alleyne’s greetings echoed some of the sentiments and concerns contained in a statement issued recently by him and members of the Church following the passing of the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly last December. That statement said, “Guyana is in uncharted territory with the passage of the motion of no-confidence in the government on December 21.”

It mentioned that notwithstanding some unacceptable behaviour in Parliament and on social media, Guyanese have risen to the occasion by acknowledging the democratic nature of the process and resisting temptation to be intolerant.