(Portions of this article were first published elsewhere in 2010, but attracted no comments. Though somewhat dated, the views might be considered still relevant.)
Guyana is not unique in its system of adversarial politics. In fact, Guyana shares with most democratic countries an elected legislature to which competing parties seek membership. The extent of that membership depends on the votes received by political parties in elections. Each political party at these elections seeks to persuade the electorate that it is the best equipped to lead the country. This continues in parliament after the elections where the government’s policies are subject to scrutiny by the opposition.
Adversarial politics is part of the democratic process and no change in this system is likely any time soon. But unless there is a broad acceptance that the political process, its rules and its outcomes are not loaded against the political representatives perceived to represent the interests of an ethnic group, the benefits or advantages of the