Dear Editor,
The recent letter by Minister Jeffrey (‘The many difficulties faced by Malaysia do not preclude us from learning from its experience’ SN, February 19) I must say, really showed me up for the mediocre writer I must be, because his philosophical analysis of shared coalition governance was, to say the least, introspective and incisive; his letter captures the essence of what I tried to put forward, except that his perceptions were much more orderly and prescient than mine were.
His denial of Mr Mervin’s incorrect approach to shared governance leaves all and sundry clearly understanding that Mr Mervin’s arguments were really intended to propagate the AFC’s opportunistic tendencies in terms of what is good for our nation and people, as opposed to what is on the AFC’c own agenda. Mr Mervin should stop writing about topics in Guyana, and maybe let the public know about the problems Guyanese face in Brooklyn, New York, and the life and times of living in the USA.
Guyanese face lots of different pressures in the USA and I’m sure that Mr Mervin, who always is keen to express himself about politics in Guyana can instead let us know about political issues concerning Guyanese in the USA.
Minister Jeffrey’s letter refers to Malaysia as an example of shared governance; the events in Ethiopia in the late 1990s, after the Derg communist government was deposed by the joint efforts of the Eritrean and Tigre liberation movements (after many years of fight- ing) which led to the independent state of Eritrea while in Ethiopia itself the Tigre leaders who won the reins of government decided on shared governance, since they were only one of the ethnic entities in that country. This brought a peace and stability Ethiopia had rarely enjoyed in its long history.
There are numerous examples of successful attempts at this concept in many countries on this planet, and Guyanese should demand from their politicians, a commitment to this ideal.
Minister Jeffrey’s criticisms of my positions (“secret meetings” and “romanticized” cognition) on this shared concept are all valid, and I concede that as a person who has served both the PNC and PPP governments, his views on shared coalition governance ought not to be circumvented or dismissed but instead, given serious consideration by all in this country who want a better life.
On this subject, I concede his expertise and his wisdom and agree with his position wholeheartedly.
Mahatma Gandhi wrote , “Democracy is an impossible thing until the [political] power is shared by all, but let not democracy degenerate into mobocracy; power that comes from service faithfully rendered ennobles. Power that is sought in the name of service and can only be obtained by a majority of votes is a delusion and a snare to be avoided; possession of power makes men blind and deaf, they cannot see things which are under their very nose and cannot hear things which invade their ears…”
Editor, shared coalition governance is not mere conjecture, but a blueprint for greater and better involvement of all our people, who will feel that they have a real say in the future of our small, struggling but loved country.
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr)
