Selection of Mr Ramkarran strongly supported by the youths of ANUG

Dear Editor,

I wish to respond to sentiments expressed by the leader of the LJP in your article on Wednesday captioned `Shuman in talks with APNU’. Ageism, or discrimination against a person on the basis of their age, is not uncommon, especially since such leadership is generally perceived to be linked to a particular mindset. The modus operandi linked to this group and generally eschewed by the youth population of Guyana is that which is associated with bureaucracy, the absence of technological approaches to everyday tasks, constant regurgitation of historical injustices from a politically biased perspective, political rhetoric, demagogic speeches, racism, corruption, unfulfilled promises and so much more. It should be clear to all of Guyana by now that these features of governance are neither germane to Guyana nor to those of a particular age group. Nevertheless, to group anyone into this category by a quick glance of their physical features, to assume that someone embodies this dysfunctional approach to governance, without due diligence is to judge the proverbial book by its cover. What Mr. Shuman did by expressing his disappointment in ANUG’s recent choice of Presidential Candidate on the basis of age is not only a display of discrimination, but also reveals a distinct flaw in his judgement given that he has succumbed to the proverbial judging of the book by its cover which is neither reasoning nor conduct expected from one seeking to occupy the highest office of the land. But we know that Mr. Shuman doesn’t believe this since he is in talks with a party who is led by a candidate even older than Mr. Ramkarran. So what is the motive behind Mr. Shuman’s attack on Ramkarran? It should also be noted that it was the membership, of which 70% are youths, who elected Mr. Ramkarran. Does this not reflect the voice of informed youths? Though Mr. Ramkarran was not the only nominee, his nomination saw all other nominees declining in order to give way to his candidacy because they felt he was the best choice to lead the party based on the party’s mission and his appropriateness for the job, not to mention his wisdom, vision and integrity.

ANUG has embarked on a journey to transform Guyana by forcing the two large parties to function collaboratively. The mission of the party is to ensure that both of the two political behemoths are involved in the functions and decisions of the executive branch of government. Neither party must be permitted to make unilateral decisions for the benefit of its