Dear Editor,
Last Wednesday evening the President gave the reasons for not having meaningful dialogue with the Leader of the Opposition, saying that the Opposition continue to state that his Government had been improperly elected and is therefore illegal and that it is disrespectful. In the political arena, this is only allowable if we are petty, puerile or at best, pusillanimous. Politicians and national leaders can’t afford this kind of petulance since history has shown such attitudes takes a country down a rocky road to disaster. The President recently attended an international conference in the United States. He ought to be aware of the January 6 events in Washington and its ongoing inquiry. In spite of all that has been said by the ultra-right after the USA November Elections, President Joe Biden has shown maturity and reaches out to the Republicans, the Democrats and others with the aplomb and courage of a worthy President.
Last year, after one senior PPP functionaries told me of this irritant of ‘installed government’, I discussed this matter with the then Opposition Leader, Mr. Joseph Harmon, and told him that in our present environment, he should avoid statements that can be used for whatever reason to provide an excuse to the government. I have reasons to believe that my advice was accepted and I don’t recall hearing such since that conversation. But Editor, back to the president’s statement of last Wednesday evening. He swore before man and God to uphold the Constitution. A President, Head of State, Commander-in-Chief and I say so with great respect, ought not to be deflected by what is described as words of disrespect. A President, particularly in a polarized society, must understand that he must be magnanimous and rise above statements made by the other side. This country, particularly our young people, expect no less from their President.
In our circumstances, there are several things that are bringing injury to our society, with this stand-off between the gov’t and the Opposition leadership and it is doing irreparable damage to the already torn fabric of our society. One example, our Judiciary, an important pillar of governance, has a Chancellor and Chief Justice acting for an unacceptably long time, and this is exacerbated by the fact that the acting persons are both females and Afro-Guyanese. The perception within the society and beyond is that the president’s reluctance to bring this matter to an end is for reasons, which are not pure and not acceptable in a truly civilized and democratic country. I avoid the tedium of other examples, except to say that democracy is a continual process between National Elections. Further Editor, failure for reasons that were given to engage the Opposition, as is required by the Constitution, makes any talk of One Guyana seem meaningless, but perhaps even hypocritical. I urge that the President not discard or disregard the contents of this letter sent by one, who’s only concern today is to avoid the mistakes of the past and now that we have a bounty of money from oil and gas, to advance our beloved country to become a haven of peace, justice and shared prosperity.
As we approach another anniversary of this gov’t’s incumbency, we have the opportunity to do the right and proper thing. Let the gov’t’s officials agree on a time, place and agenda, and request, if you prefer that word, summon the Opposition Leader to satisfy the requirements of the Constitution, since the Constitution did not provide an opportunity for it to be neither diluted nor derailed by alleged words, interpreted to be disrespectful. Please be reminded that even with the pressure of an all-consuming Cold War, our two political Titans could and did meet and talk. For my part, I do recall, in the aftermath of the PPP’s trumpeting of ‘cheated not defeated’, both Jagan and Burnham agreed on the roles that a small group of us were playing to take the nation forward, but with Burnham’s sudden demise in August, 1985, this process was derailed, unfortunately. The rest is history. May I add this caveat? With the ever-present superpowers and mighty conglomerates, the importance of small countries like Guyana with rich natural resources can be one in the conversations within the above. The old statement “United we stand, Divided we fall,” is relevant and we ignore efforts to give and take to our peril; our children and their children will not forgive us if we fail them at this juncture of our history. The ball is in the President’s court to bequeath succeeding generations, a country that is united. I pose this suggestion… that if there is a will, we will find our way to be glorious and not be damned.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Green