Dear Editor,
This concept of power sharing has been around for many years now ‒ at least 30 years. And the reason for it is because Guyana has only ethnic parties ‒ at least they are perceived that way by more or less the whole population. When the PNC is in office they appoint more than 90% Africans to positions in government and Indians are excluded from executive power. When the PPP is in office, it is the turn of Africans to be excluded from executive power.
So how do you change this state of affairs? To correct this defect of democracy, David Hinds more than anyone else, promoted the concept of power sharing ‒ both Africans and Indians must be represented in the Cabinet according to their share of the population. This is exactly the system that rules in Suriname. It is called consociationalism.
I am opposed to power sharing. It will not work in Guyana for the same reasons why consociationalism broke down in Suriname in the 1980s and led to riots and the rise of Bouterse. We have power sharing right now in Guyana, a combo of PNC (representing Africans) and AFC (supposedly representing Indians). What happened? The AFC is not representing Indians (was it supposed to?). 90% of AFC ministers are Africans. Also the AFC as a group in the combo has no power in government in terms of policy and executive decision-making. They have been cut down at the knees; they have been totally emasculated.
For genuine democracy to work in Guyana, we need to end ethnic parties. And, that’s what PPP and PNC are: ethnic parties. Both the PPP and PNC need to transform themselves into genuine multi-racial (or if you like the term, non-racial parties). The PNC cannot ever win an election in Guyana running as an ethnic party; it makes sense for them to transform themselves, make themselves attractive and appealing to win Indians votes.
The PPP also refuses to change ethnicity. But they were able to get away with it for 23 years. Why? Because Indians at 43% of the population were able to elect them to office. They simply did not need the African vote. With the changing demography, this situation no longer holds true.
So from here on into the future both the PNC and PPP should feel the pressure to change their racial politics.
The AFC has lost its credibility (no executive power, no influence on policies) and it is destined to disappear at the 2020 elections.
ABC countries and the Carter Center have a lot of influence on what goes on in Guyana, but for some strange reason they look on at the racial politics playing out in Guyana and do nothing.
The recent USAID report may be a signal that they might want to get involved to help this long-suffering country evolve into a genuine multi-racial democracy.
If only the following three ideas could embed themselves in the body politic, Guyana will have genuine democracy, and all the talk of power sharing will disappear.
(1) Genuine diverse parties will attract people of all races.
(2) A significant band of isssues voters (swing voters) will evolve.
(3) A pool of swing voters will ensure the baton of power passes to a new party or coalition of parties every two or three election cycles.
Guyana has other problems. Strong (independent) institutions nurture democracy and make it work. All such institutions are extremely weak and deliberately undermined by one or the other dominant ethnic group. The police and the army have to be ethnically balanced. The High Court is extremely weak and constantly being manipulated by all kinds of forces. The DPP is not properly staffed and equipped to carry out its function. The Electoral Commission is being manipulated. All of these deficiencies combine to produce a flawed democracy.
What we need in Guyana is not power sharing, but genuine non-racial parties and help from the ABC countries to help us evolve strong democratic institutions and a new culture that together will ensure and sustain genuine democracy.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
