Dear Editor,
As expected, the recent victory of the People’s Partnership in Trinidad has created a flurry of activities in Guyana regardless of the fact that the two situations are fundamentally different. Trinidad has a constitution that the People of Trinidad can live with while Guyana has an executive presidency-Westminstersystem that stifles the country and promotes racial divisiveness. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s victory came about in a system where individuals, including herself, had to take part in constituency elections while Guyana has a party list system that is fundamentally undemocratic and gives party leaders maximum power. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm created by changes in government in the UK, Suriname and Trinidad gives momentum and credence to the need for change in Guyana.
I want to caution the political elite in Guyana about their rank and scheming opportunism and why they are misusing the Trinidad situation for their personal selfish gain as they are slowly and unintelligently sowing the seeds of discontent that can derail an effective and needed combined opposition.
First, let me congratulate Joey Jagan for his well-intended letter indicating that any combined opposition will need to have a signed public document, although the 15 principles he has pointed out are more tactical that strategic. For example, he said that there should be 12 ministries. This is premature because there has to be a new economic and political vision for Guyana and this will determine how many ministries there should be. Structure always comes after strategy. It is like saying I want to be a national party but only have offices in Georgetown. Currently, because of a strategy of executive dominance and political insularity so that an LCDS philosophy can be unilaterally pursued without adequate debate and the consent of Parliament, key areas of economic governance like the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Guyana Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Communications are out of the purview of Parliament as they are not ministries. Hence, the so-called future economic status of Guyana has no parliamentary oversight. Mining is Guyana’s largest foreign exchange earner and Parliament has no oversight of this industry. Nevertheless Joey is on the right path.
Today everyone recognizes Guyana is a modern-day political, social, economic tragedy. Ultimately, the solution to our multi-dimensional crisis with its accompanying social, economic and cultural ramifications, and especially poverty, will be constitutional reform leading to power sharing or shared governance.
Just recently, Rupert Roopnaraine has highlighted that there is too much of a focus on who will be the leader of a combined opposition at the expense of more critical principles. He stated, “without a planned economic, social and political programme the coalition stands more of a chance to fail than to succeed.” I agree with him.
At the core of this focus on who should be the leader of a combined opposition is political and personal dishonesty by the political elite. It also shows a deep-seated resistance to the principle of shared governance. There are no maximum leaders in a shared governance environment. This inbred Westminster attitude of winner-take-all is contrary to shared governance and is very evident in the daily political fights within the PNC and AFC.
Political parties in Guyana are all undemocratic parties which subscribe to the principle of a maximum leader. All of the political parties subscribe to winner-take-all. Hence the fight with the PNC between Robert Corbin and Winston Murray must be seen in this light. If a party is committed to shared governance, then its own internal governance and operational processes should reflect this. The supporters of Winston Murray and more importantly, Winston Murray himself, must commit to this shared governance principle and work as a team. The essence of shared governance is teamwork. This will also be the essence of any effective combined opposition. Teamwork based on established principles. I strongly recommend that Winston and core supporters which include Richard Van West Charles, Aubrey Norton, Vincent Alexander and James McAllister accept Robert Corbin’s invitation to become members of the PNC’s 2011 election committee, and use this process to negotiate and settle their differences.
The PNC needs harmony and the contribution of all members if it wishes for a better Guyana. Any other process, and especially clandestine ones and character attack campaigns, will only further weaken the PNC and make a combined opposition ineffective, broken spirited and mean spirited.
The AFC also needs to get its house in order before it attempts to forge a combined opposition. Khemraj Ramjattan has publicly stated in Guyana and Canada, that he will not be a part of a combined opposition. Raphael Trotman wants the AFC to be a part of a combined opposition and also badly wants to be the leader or the number two. This has led to a part of the AFC leadership creating purposeful and strategic (so they believe) interventions by the Peter Wickham CADRES poll prior to the AFC’s last weekend meeting to decide on their rotation principle as well as the introduction of Henry Hartley from Barbados without Khemraj Ramjattan’s agreement. These interventions were designed to strengthen Raphael’s hands and to create a momentum that would essentially sideline Khemraj. There is nothing sophisticated about this. It is pure hard-core politics for Raphael to get his way and to lead the AFC into a combined opposition. Henry Hartley is a close associate of Peter Wickham (CADRES). I myself take the poll with a large grain of salt as it lacks credibility in many areas but has enough truths in it to make it seem credible. The AFC needs to look deep into its soul because the current treatment of Peter Ramsaroop is despicable, and no different from the treatment dished out to Gomattie Singh. Peter Ramsaroop has brought a large number of ideas to the AFC and unlike many politicians in Guyana, works hard, is experienced in many fields, commits his own capital and time to a better Guyana, and is team oriented. The maximum leaders seem to want no challengers regardless of the contribution made by others.
As I have said in the past, the rotation strategy of the AFC is undemocratic and authoritarian if only the three founder members are the ones to be rotated. This rotation is about acknowledging that Guyana is a racially divided society and not about enlightened leadership. It is a Westminster approach to the race problem in Guyana. The issue is that Westminster is a bad system for Guyana and any Westminster solution is just as bad.
Let me also caution the AFC about denial and deception. I was invited by the AFC to a meeting with Henry Hartley. Yes, he is good at what he does. What worried me greatly was the idea raised by him and supported by the AFC leadership at that meeting that Guyana does not have a racial problem. Such incredible dishonesty or group delusion or denial of reality will only lead to a false basis for a combined opposition and incorrect solutions to the massive problems facing Guyana. Henry Hartley should not be invited back to put the combined opposition together as he does not understand Guyana’s problems or people.
I also recommend to the AFC and to Raphael and his team to immediately stop their shenanigans. The AFC, as a group needs to remember their Dick Morris shenanigans and make a definite statement about whether they are committed to a combined opposition or not. Creating situations to promote the idea that they should lead it should also be stopped as the probability of someone from the AFC leading it is very low.
Guyana is a racially divided society and no amount of denial or delusion will change that reality. Only solid fact-based solutions. If a group of political leaders can deny this reality, then they are not part of the solution.
Some proponents of the AFC are also playing a delusional game that is part of their strategy to become equals with the PNC in any combined opposition. Sasenarine Singh is the latest proponent of this ill-conceived strategy. In a recent letter Mr Singh wrote, “the PNC has a role to play in ensuring that the issues most important to the African-Guyanese dominated communities like Buxton and Victoria are captured, but it must not be seen as the dominator of the People’s Partnership. If the PNC chooses the position of arrogance, then so be it; we shall stand divided and shall all perish as we surrender 5 more years to Jagdeo and his cronyism.”
First of all, the PNC and the AFC are not equals electorally, regardless of the CADRES poll or the Dick Morris poll. The combined opposition if it has the WPA, the Unity Party or GAP/ROAR will have parties in which there may be less than 1000 voters or members. Surely these cannot be equal to the PNC which has over 20 seats in Parliament.
Secondly, the leader of the combined opposition has to be a person of integrity who understands that whereas there should be a democratic process in decision-making in the combined opposition, the detailed agreement cannot treat the AFC, WPA, GAP/ROAR and civil society groups as equals. This would be both unfortunate and unfair. Proportionality and subsidiary must be two core principles of any combined opposition.
Mr Singh’s other deception is claiming the PNC should be in the combined opposition to only look after the needs of “African-Guyanese dominated communities like Buxton and Victoria.” What about the African dominated AFC which got over 90% of its votes from Africans? The AFC can’t have it both ways. This perhaps explains why the AFC is trying to position itself as a party of mixed race people. Obama is an African American not a Mixed American for there is no such culture or racial grouping in the US.
Which brings me to the final point. The leader of the combined opposition must be comfortable with his or her own culture, regardless of his or her race. Being cultureless is a weakness not strength, for then it is impossible to appreciate the strengths of other cultures. Over the years, with the exception of PPP politicians, opposition party leaders have been afraid to identify with their own ethnic group. These lost souls are afraid they would be stigmatized. How disgraceful and tragic that in order to win you must avoid your own roots.
In the end, Guyana faces many problems and it needs a combined opposition with the most qualified leader. In my view, none of the politicians who are raising their hands qualify. None of them, even in Parliament or in public have addressed the real issues facing Guyanese whether it was joblessness, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, national security, national competitiveness, migration and poverty. They were voiceless and thoughtless. Now, they want to lead us.
A combined opposition cannot just be anti-PPP. It must be pro-Guyana. That means the four most critical problems facing Guyana must be addressed with strategies that will energize their supporters and create an environment for cross-over votes. Just being a charismatic Indian leader isn’t going to do it. We need a leader of the combined opposition who has a high emotional IQ to bring about racial healing a through a shared governance system.
We need a leader of the combined opposition who understands economic development to the extent that the National Development Strategy, LCDS and other sector strategies can be integrated to create a new political economy that will result in growth and wealth creation (not mendicancy). The current political economy has been inherited from our colonial pas and encourages racial voting. Hence the PPP can always count on sugar workers and their unions to support. The opposition gets mixed up about racial voting and voting in one’s economic interest.
We need a leader of the combined opposition who understands that there is dire need for a comprehensive national strategy for our youth and that this should include issues of job creation, a better educational system and micro-financing.
Most importantly, we need a leader of the combined opposition who understands the massive security dangers from drug lords, the army, police and criminal gangs in this criminal economy of ours.
All things taken into consideration, the combined opposition should not be led by anyone from any existing political party, for they simply do not qualify. They show this by their daily bickering and subterfuge, lack of team-building skills and past history of being conspicuously absent in dealing with the problems facing Guyana. In this manner, they are no different from the PPP leaders who have been misruling this country of ours.
Yours faithfully,
Eric Phillips
