ABSTRACT
The political dynamics of contemporary Guyana bear testimony to Bismarck's observation that "politics is the art of the possible". Human rights thinking in Guyana, as reflected in domestic legal instruments, statements by political leaders, and charters of human rights nongovernmental groups, have been influenced by both the liberal and the communalist philosophies. It is easier to give tangible meaning to civil and political rights in Guyana than to do so for economic, social, and cultural ones, as is so starkly illustrated in the dilemma in which the country finds itself in its constitutional ideal of free education. Hence, although political elites and interest groups in Guyana will continue to pay homage to the importance of economic, social, and cultural rights, and to their symbiotic relationship with civil and political rights, there will be few advances anytime soon in the economic and social areas.
