Dear Editor,
I refer to `GHRA calls for fundamental electoral reforms and a move away from Stone Age politics’ (Stabroek News, October 25, 2022) in which several over-generalizations are made about the state of politics in Guyana. While there are notable points of interest in the piece, GHRA seems to be too wedded to the past in its understanding of party politics in Guyana. I ask the reader to consider the observations below.
Firstly, despite the turbulence that surrounds elections in Guyana, we have still managed to conduct free and fair elections and execute the peaceful transfer of power since 1992. That is no small accomplishment for a country that had struggles for four decades of foreign intervention and authoritarian rule.
Secondly, notwithstanding the machinations of the 2020 elections, we should take comfort that, in the end, the matter was rectified through judicial review, including the external CCJ. How I wish the same were true in any number of other Global South countries where election driven violence, coups, and generalized mayhem continue as the norm.
Thirdly, the reforms that GHRA is calling for are currently being addressed through a national consultation process. While there are indeed other proposals already on the table, GHRA should take comfort that the proposed refinement of Representation of the People Act is substantive and meaningful. It is not window dressing.
Fourthly, Guyana has extremely competitive elections and the results definitively prove this. In 2011, the PPP/C took the Office of the President, but the Opposition controlled the purse strings in parliament. Note that in 2015, the PPP/C facilitated the transfer of power within days.
That election saw the APNU+AFC in office, but with only a one seat advantage, again underlining a close election. Dissatisfied with the mediocre performance of the AFC, one of its MP’s ‘crossed the floor’ in December 2018 and voted for a No-Confidence Motion. Though the APNU+AFC dragged their feet well beyond the three months to call elections, those elections did materialize in March 2020.
The 2020 elections again underlined the extreme competitiveness of party politics in the country, with the PPP/C managing only a one-seat advantage.
It is good that GHRA is participating in the process. But GHRA itself ought to reflect on its own conduct. GHRA tends to dehistoricize everything by equating the PPP/C and the PNCR ignores what really happens on the ground.
For instance, while GHRA equates the two major parties regarding attempts to dominate GECOM, it fails to mention that President Granger for the first time since 1992, disallowed the nomination of the Chair by the Leader of the Opposition. The argument that no one met the criteria specified in Article 161 (2) of the constitution was forcefully dealt with by then opposition MP Anil Nandlall who pointed out (Kaieteur News, January 9, 2017) that past GECOM chairs Rudy Collins, Edward Hopkinson, Joseph Singh, and Dr. Steve Surujbally did not have any legal training. GHRA’s own biases has hurt its standing in the eyes of the public, but it can redeem its credibility by being truly ‘civic.’
GHRA and other private groups ought to take pride and, yes, credit for the dynamic political developments in Guyana. Elections have become so competitive that no party is sure what will happen in the next national elections, or at least what the margin of victory/defeat would look like. The key here is that politics based on ethnic identity is rapidly evaporating.
Sincerely,
Dr. Randolph Persaud
