Dear Editor,
Yesterday Guyana observed 50 years of independence. During that period, two parties dominated our politics – the PPP and the PNC. The PNC held power for 27 of those fifty years, while the PPP held office for twenty-three years. The fiftieth anniversary, therefore, offers us an opportunity to compare the performances of the two parties and get a better understanding of where our strengths and weaknesses lie.
The PNC was in office at the time of gaining Independence, having been pitchforked into power as a consequence of British and American manipulation accompanied by destabilization of the then British Guiana. The years from 1966 to 1992, are still being discussed. Sympathizers of the PNC try hard to find some good in that regime, however, those years were the most disastrous in our history.
Under the PNC regime, Guyana became known for all the wrong things, and topping the list was the trend of rigged elections. Because the people’s will was frustrated at the polls, Guyana descended into being governed by a dictatorship. This led to the erosion of our institutions. The courts came under the political control of the PNC and the PNC became so brazen that they began to fly their party flag beside the Guyana flag at the Court of Appeal. The courts were used as an instrument of harassment of political opponents to the PNC dictatorship. The Parliament, of course, being the result of rigged elections, became a mere rubber stamp of the PNC regime designed to first get their business through. It was not a representative institution. The opposition’s motions and questions were routinely ignored.
The Elections Commission came under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which was totally dominated by the PNC. It was just an instrument to subvert the will of the people. In 1980, an observer team led by Lord Avebury concluded that all the worst fears of rigged elections had been realized. One of their observations was that the Elections Commission’s staff consisted of almost 100% PNC supporters; this did not reflect the demographics of the country.
The two other important institutions that were subverted and turned into an arm of the PNC were the army and police. These institutions were used to harass opponents of the PNC regime. In addition, there were assassinations, the most notable of which was Walter Rodney. The results were disastrous, not only for the body politic, but for the economy and the social sector. At the social level, our education and health services declined to become the worst in the Caribbean region. Today, a large number of persons who were educated during the PNC days are semi-literate. The PNC regime abdicated its responsibility to people in the housing sector, and further, almost all the country’s general infrastructure was in a deplorable state.
The PPP/C’s twenty-three years, on the other hand, saw our country’s development moving at a rapid pace. The economy experienced fast growth despite the many activities aimed at sabotaging progress by the then opposition PNC to halt progress. The social sector was restored to great respectability. Advanced medical procedures/surgeries such as dialysis treatment were made fully accessible to Guyanese. Drug shortages became a thing of the past and essential services were expanded to reach every nook and cranny in Guyana. The health sector became fully modernized and self sufficient as we began training our specialists right here in Guyana.
Over the past ten years, our students have topped the lists of passes at the CXC and CAPE examinations in the Caribbean, clear testimony of the great advances in the education sector. Housing was also another great success story. Guyanese who always dreamt of owning their own homes had their dreams realized for the first time. The PPP/C administration found many creative ways to help our citizens live in the sanctity of sleeping with their own roof over their heads.
Our most important institutions functioned in the correct manner. The judiciary was an independent body and delivered judgments that were free from governmental pressure and/or interference. The PPP/C administration made Guyana one of the first member states to enter the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). This strengthened the system as a whole. More judges were appointed to deal with cases.
Our Parliament, too, became a truly deliberative body. Standing Committees and Special Select Committees came into being to enhance broader participation and to allow that institution to fulfil its mandate in a more transparent manner.
The main reason that the PPP/C succeeded was because it upheld democracy at every level of our society. All the fundamental freedoms were protected and respected. These policies that the PPP/C implemented have proven that democracy is indeed the key to success.
As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary, we must point out the dangers that can lead us backwards. Many of the activities of the current government are a cause for great concern. The regime has displayed an intolerance and insensitivity of unbelievable proportions. They do not consult with the people and ram their decisions down the throats of the nation. The renaming of the Convention Centre and the Ogle Airport stand out. The renaming of the Ogle Airport in particular was done even though the majority of the stakeholders were against it.
The Parliament is being returned to the status of being a rubber stamp, as the Speaker does his best to disrupt opposition members and protect government members. Questions posed to government members are not being answered. Trumped up parliamentary charges whereby Bishop Edghill was referred to the Privileges Committee stand out as a warning.
The experiences over the last fifty years show that Guyana can prosper, but we need democracy as the foundation of the government. Let us all work together to halt the deterioration.
Yours faithfully,
Donald Ramotar
