Dear Editor,
What PPP approach was realistically expected with the WPA’s uncompromising demand for half the cabinet ministries? Efforts to contest the 1992 elections under the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD) to include all, including the WPA, was torpedoed by the WPA’s inflexible demand which rejected Dr Cheddi Jagan as the presidential candidate. Dr Jagan’s suggestion of Dr Roger Luncheon as the PPP’s compromise alternative was again rejected.
With reference to Mr Eusi Kwayana’s letter in SN of December 14, titled ‘There was never any approach from the PPP to the WPA for a discussion on the post-election situation,’ the WPA has become compromised with the PNC, unlike their pre-1992 election negotiations with the PPP. Has the PNC conceded half of the shadow cabinet to them? The WPA’s demands to the PPP for half the cabinet ministries, ostensibly for equality with the PPP was contentious. Conceding such demands meant the results were predetermined before elections. If so why any need for democratic elections in Guyana? Such WPA demands automatically denied the other smaller parties, eg, DLM, PDM and UF, as well as the GUARD movement, any ‘equality’ which Mr Kwayana sought. Mr Kwayana and the WPA mistook sympathy for actual support, and their insistent demands were so based. Unable to compromise within the PCD the parties proceeded to independently contest the 1992 elections. Compromise was possible after their results became evident. But the WPA had a rude awakening election time. Despite the PNC imposed miseries which all Guyanese suffered their hard-core base remained overwhelmingly loyal, dashing all the WPA’s expectations and any post-1992 leverage.
How fruitful would have any PPP approach to the WPA’s been and why did the WPA not readjust and instead initiate a meeting? Mr Kwayana always had a cordial relationship with the PPP leader. Dr Jagan nevertheless still offered the prime minister’s job to Dr Clive Thomas who was the WPA’s presidential candidate.
He refused it and GUARD’s Mr Sam Hinds became and remains Guyana’s prime minister. Mr Kwayana now reveals another informal offer was made to the WPA to head a ministry. Can Mr Kwayana’s commendable candid admission that his objections triumphed in the WPA be anything new? He writes: “I took the risk of arguing that such a ministry was meaningless and was created for public consumption.
As a matter of interest, the PPP never created such a ministry in 1992 or since.” Yet he now still yearns for current PPP miracles in consideration of what?
Mr Kwayana’s response to the respected estranged PPP luminary Mr Ralph Ramkarran can be politically pregnant or he’s just reminiscing.
Yours faithfully,
Sultan Mohamed
