Dear Editor,
Mr Ralph Ramkarran, in his article, ‘A post-racial future in Guyana is within grasp’ (SN: 10/11/19) writes, “It is clear that in Guyana Indians are not willing to be ruled by Africans and Africans are not prepared to be ruled by Indians. The answer is that the executive must consist of equal numbers from both major parties with the president alternating annually between the parties. The executive should have no place in the parliament which should comprise 50 members elected from constituencies and 15 top up members.”
In proposing his solution to the problem of voting along racial lines by the two major race groups, I believe Mr Ramkarran has failed to recognise the paradigm shift that has taken place in Guyana’s political landscape. The Amerindian community now accounts for around ten per cent of the population. In addition, since the no-confidence vote last December, for the first time in the country’s history, a political party (the Liberty and Justice Party) headed by an Amerindian, Mr Lennox Shuman, has emerged. Amerindians now have the choice, like the Indians and the Africans, to vote for a party headed by someone of their ethnicity. Stabroek News’ editorial, ‘No coalitions’ (SN: 10/11/19), notes, “…the possibility exists that Mr Shuman may be able for the first time since the 1960s to attract votes from most of the nine Indigenous nations in this country.”
The abovementioned editorial further states, “…Mr Shuman had engaged in discussions with APNU about possibly coalescing. Exactly what transpired in those meetings has never been publicly disclosed; however, at the news conference Mr Shuman said that a non-negotiable requirement of any possible coalition with either the PPP/C or the APNU+AFC would be to extend the opportunity to become president or prime minister to Guyanese of all ethnicities.” Mr Ramkarran’s solution leaves the Amerindians in the cold with no opportunity to hold the presidency. This make his solution untenable.
I am not a lawyer or political scientist. However, I know that from time immemorial, reward and punishment have been used to effect change in behaviour in humans and other animals. Parents know this, teachers know this, and animal trainers know this. My suggestion is that the principle of reward and punishment be used to bring about change in political behaviour in Guyana, especially if we wish to achieve meaningful national unity.
How about instituting a Constitution which requires a president to gain at least 60 per cent of the votes cast in a national election in order to serve a full term? Should no one achieve this minimum, then the presidency should be rotated proportionally in time based on votes received among the presidential candidates who obtain at least 10 per cent. This way, each candidate will be forced to adopt national policies across party lines if he/she hopes to serve a full term. At the bottom end, the lower limit of ten per cent will cater for the Amerindian community to have a shot at the presidency.
I know my thinking is unconventional. Before it is heaped with scorn, I wish to remind readers that conventional thinking has not advanced national cohesion.
Yours faithfully,
Harry Hergash
