Dear Editor,
Britons voted in a referendum a week ago to break from the European Union. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, led the stay campaign; he lost narrowly.
As I penned before the vote, if Brexit wins, the PM would have to resign as that is the tradition under the parliamentary system. The PM must accept moral responsibility for any defeat.
Cameron did not fail the morality test. As soon as the results were announced, Cameron announced his resignation. He noted that it would be morally untenable to remain as PM. This is in sharp contrast to Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean that also follows the parliamentary system inherited from England. You need a forklift to remove a defeated leader.
In Guyana, a presidential candidate lost (did not get a majority as inherited from his predecessor) in 2011 but still sought re-election in 2015. Although the candidate was not attractive and polls showed him struggling to win, he insisted on being the nominee. His party made no effort to replace him fully knowing the risks involved in going back with him. Admittedly, there was no other candidate among potential contenders within the party, as virtually none of them were (and still are not) attractive to voters. An outside candidate, a former party member of integrity and respect, would have won a significant mandate. But the party preferred to be defeated and sit in the opposition rather than accept a constructive critic, a former party member, who would have led them to victory. Those who promoted and supported that failed candidate should be held accountable and recuse themselves from selecting the party’s candidate in 2020.
One must applaud the former leader of another party for not seeking re-nomination as presidential candidate in 2011, having been resoundingly defeated in 2006. He made way for another leader who was successful in 2011 in recapturing the party’s lost support base of 2006 and eventually winning the presidency in 2015. The defeated leader of the current opposition is delusional if he believes he will win the presidency on the third try. It will not happen.
Guyana’s political leaders must embrace all of the highest traditions and practices of the parliamentary system: accept responsibility for defeat and move on, paving the way for a successor who can unite and lead the party to victory.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
