The New Year presents a golden opportunity for Guyana's new President Donald Ramotar. The challenge for him as he leads a minority government is to create a healthy mix of mature politics and inclusive dialogue and so build mutual trust among the parties now in Guyana's Parliament.
President Ramotar's leadership is surely going to be tried. There is a surging of new tides in Guyana's Parliament in the go-ahead also handed by the electorate to the APNU and the APC. The good thing is President Ramotar has already acknowledged this reality. He has said the real test will happen with the new dispensation in Parliament. He is so correct.
What it is going to take from him is a calm disposition and an outreach of leadership that will not only look after the interests of his PPP/C, but also allow for a more inclusion and cooperation with the other power-wielding parties.
We look to the quality of his leadership being put to the test as talks get underway for the selection of a House Speaker. In the New Year discussions on Guyana's budget will be another key item on the political agenda. How this goes will determine how well President Ramotar handles the golden opportunity that has been handed to him by the electorate.
As he has said in his inaugural pledge, he plans to make Guyana "a better place for all… to govern with the interest of all; and to ensure that the legitimate aspirations of our people are respected, and the resources of Guyana must benefit all our people."
We wish President Ramotar and Guyana's new government all the best for the coming year.

 

Thank goodness Christmas is not a stopover to Boxing Day sales! For many of us, this festive time is still about goodwill, reflection, generosity and peace. It is still the time of festivity, the making of good cheer with family, friends, and neighbours.
It is the time when members of our Christian community celebrate the birth of the Christ-child. We do so in song - in the singing of carols, in displaying with pride the scene of the nativity and in festive decorations.
Christmas is a time that emphasises what is noble in us. In this place we put tremendous value on the pillars of family, in the ties that make up our relationships with friends and the wider community. We grow nobler with the love and respect we pay to each other and when we pray for each other. We sing about peace and goodwill among all men. We listen to the happiness in the voices of our children and grandchildren – their laughter brings the light of joy to our eyes.
Even as we celebrate within the warmth of our lives and in our homes, we reach to those who are without. In this auspicious season, we give not only kind words and thoughts to those in need, but also reach out in deeds of giving to those who hunger and to those who mourn, to those who are indigent, and to the many among us who are enduring the misfortunes that sometimes visit our lives.
Let us nurture this love and kindness for each other, and keep working to build our lives to help others. Let us strive to make ourselves better – in leadership, as parents, friends and citizens.
As we celebrate Christmas here in the GTA with our loved ones, or with relatives back in our homelands, let us reflect on our common humanity, and keep working on the qualities that together make us strong.
Let us not forget the message of Christmas in its message of goodwill, with its emphasis on hope and love, and let us keep building on the positive values of Christmas itself.
We take this opportunity to wish our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.