Dear Editor,
One of the most maddening aspects of Guyanese society is its deep-seated political polarization whereby every act or expression of opinion is interpreted as an indication of political bias, whether for the PPP or PNC. It is constantly amazing to see how educated people allow a partisan perspective to override any exercise of commonsense. Consequently, every act is an excuse for the exchange of vitriol. Meanwhile, a tactic of persons out to mislead for narrow partisan purpose is to tack on all kinds of extraneous issues and non-sequitors to a statement, then beat them to discredit the statement or position taken. How in heaven’s name we can expect to make progress and prosper individually and collectively as a nation if we operate like this beats me. When will Guyanese people appreciate that this behavior will only impoverish us further and allow the scheming few to run off with the spoils of our national inheritance? When?
Take, for example the reactions to statements of objection by the Electoral Reform Group and Guyana Human Rights Association to IRI execution of the recently announced electoral reform project. These civil society organizations have been forthright in indicating their support for GECOM reform. The need for GECOM reform is not a partisan issue. It should not take a rocket scientist to appreciate that GECOM’s present structure is a recipe for deadlock and political turmoil. It must be fixed. What the organizations are objecting to is IRI’s role in the execution of the project. Their argument is that IRI’s role is inappropriate and unlikely to yield a successful outcome for Guyana. Guyanese people must understand that while foreign support is welcome, we must be in the driver’s seat of reform. Our fate is in our hands. Some commentators take issue with the statement that GECOM reform is not enough, that electoral reform must address the fundamental systemic weaknesses aimed at achieving better accountability, inclusiveness, representativeness, stability, and transparency. This too is not a partisan issue. Indeed, review and reform in these areas should be a permanent feature of our political system. Weak-nesses in these systemic areas undermine the entire political system.
I must stress that having a partisan perspective is not a problem. Everyone is entitled to do so. The problem is with those who take advantage of their followers and supporters to sow dishonesty and dissention for narrow partisan ends. What we need is a forum for constructive dialogue where these perspectives can be aired and addressed properly. Some commentators indicate the implication and fear that electoral system reform is aimed at undermining their party’s power. The answer to such fears is a constructive dialogue process that allows all parties and groups to be represented and to defend their interests. Without such a dialogue (enshrined in Article 13 of the Constitution), electoral reform would be mere window dressing and would not solve our problems.
Sincerely,
Dr. Desmond Thomas