Dear Editor,
With general and regional elections due this year there is a heightened misguided focus in the letter columns and elsewhere to influence the voter by making the case that 1) the opposition presidential candidate should be Indian to beat the PPP, or 2) the country’s problem is the result of ethnic voting and prosperity can only come when there is ‘cross-racial voting.’ Both positions are retrogressive and lack the foundational bases that respect fundamental rights, understand the role of government and what constitutes democracy in our society. While there is every justification in ensuring an oppressive group is not returned to manage the affairs of state, such cannot be achieved by absolving the culprit and its agent from responsibility, and engaging in actions that disrespect the rights of others and the country’s constitution.
I have previously dealt with the issue of the presidential candidate’s racial identity, highlighting that, a) race is not a constitutional provision to be president; b) you cannot end discrimination against a people by asking them to accept discrimination against themselves; c) the constitution protects the right to freedom of association, including voting for a party or person of one’s choice; and d) the constitutional right to protection from discrimination on the grounds of race.
Guyana is a republic and we, as a people, should be working consistent with “a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.” The meaning for this type of democracy is outlined in Article 13 of the constitution, which expressly states: “The principal objective of the political system of the State is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens, and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their well-being.” It is made clear here that every ethnic group has a stake in decision-making.
Though there are many types of democracy this form of governance is invariably premised on the universal acceptance of four basic elements, namely, 1) a political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; 2) the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; 3) the protection of the human rights of all citizens; and 4) the rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. And for our type of republican democracy to work it has to marry Article 13 with the four elements. They are not exclusive of each other. They work hand in hand. That this is not happening and its continuation is getting support from unlikely quarters, means that this nation will continue to suffer and the marginalized cannot find comfort in any action designed to maintain the status quo, under any guise. For there can be no claim to advocating the change of bad governance by arguing support for the same albeit in a different form. Such hypocrisies must be exposed and challenged.
There are many mixed societies – race, class, beliefs, tribe, etc – where groups compete for dominance or inclusion. However when such are managed in a way consistent with a universal code of conduct premised on justice that simultaneously respects ethnic rights and allows legitimate interests to thrive, such societies do better at managing conflicts, ensuring peaceful co-existence, and realizing happiness and prosperity. The opportunity to govern is a privilege. Such privilege gives no government the right to abuse the nation’s resources, including public offices and institutions to discriminate against other groups. So to signal to some that their ethnic choice (s) is the cause of their discrimination or the lack of cohesion is deceptive, and those who propagate these notions are themselves culpable of discrimination because you cannot claim to have people’s interests at heart when you are engaging in acts that support the denial of their rights.
Those who promote the admiration for US democracy and its over 200 years of perceived ‘stability’ are failing to make known the measures making such ‘stability’ possible. The facts are that the US democracy is built on continuing struggles to ensure the respect for the rights of all with support coming from varied ethnic quarters and adherents of democracy. In the USA there are continuous efforts by groups and government to ensure collective participation in national decision-making and policing democracy’s four elements. Sectional groups are allowed to lobby government and in Congress there are the Black, Hispanic, Tea Party and Progressive caucuses, among others, ensuring the representative interests of the diverse ethnic constituencies. Compare the US reality with Article 13 of our constitution and the government’s failure to enforce same. It also gives understanding and support to those who are rightly demanding that governance be inclusive.
Those making the case that the wellbeing of an ethnic group can only be secured through the support of the ethnic other are 1) failing to respect the individual’s fundamental rights and freedoms; and 2) failing to hold government accountable to its constitutional responsibility. The failure to accept these tenets means the problem is not being addressed but rather becoming entrenched. Ours is a constitution that respects the UN Declaration of Human Rights that “all are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” which means there is no inherent superiority in any group to solely enjoy the nation’s patrimony; similarly, no group has the right to deny another because that group did not get their vote.
Suggestions for and solutions to the nation’s myriad problems and desire for good governance must be grounded in universal principles and constitutional guidelines. The failure to adhere to these tenets continues to contribute to the dire state of affairs and the creation of an environment where some, out of the pure necessity for survival, are being forced to resort to suppressing their dignity and rights.
Further, any interest in putting this country on the proper path requires no belonging to the marginalized or aggrieved ethnic group in order to speak out for what is right and just. Respecting one’s rights does not extend to disrespecting the rights of another. True change must start, and can only begin, with respecting the rights of self and others, even if it requires taking a public stand against your own ethnic group.
Yours faithfully,
Lincoln Lewis
