Dear Editor,
In its Sunday editorial yesterday, Stabroek News alleges, yet again, that the Opposition is “weak and ineffectual” in resisting the PPP’s politics of exclusion and domination. In considering this allegation, bear in mind that the very SN would be among the first to criticize the Opposition of “excesses” should it resort to hard extra-parliamentary action. We must therefore conclude that SN imagines that there exists a zone between these “excesses” and the “weak and ineffectual” actions where the Opposition can effectively rope in the PPP.
Where to locate this zone? A possible search algorithm is one where we first identify the political tools at the disposal of the opposition in Guyana, followed by assessing the potential effectiveness of these tools, followed by comparing that assessment to how the Opposition has actually performed.
The first tool is parliament. In assessing its potential, we must note that Guyana’s political system is both majoritarian and winner-takes-all. The party in power therefore has almost total executive authority in addition to the ability to change the rules of the game and to pass all laws with a one-seat advantage. On the flip side, the Opposition can block no government measure through a supermajority requirement or a US-style filibuster. Nor can the Opposition exercise effective oversight once the PPP-chaired parliamentary committees do not or hardly convene; nor if its motions can be easily outvoted or, worse, not even entertained by the Speaker of the House. Even within this tight space, the Opposition has tabled numerous motions and questions, used the forum to publicly air its positions in debates, repeatedly called on the Speaker to man up, used the boycott card, and publicly outlined its vision for an effective parliament. True, the four parliamentary sectoral committees hold promise as investigative and oversight bodies, and the Opposition should vigorously pursue this promise when the chairmanship rotates over to it.
The second tool involves legal action. The Opposition has filed a range of actions—some successfully, some not, some pending, and more likely to be filed. On this front, the Coalition cannot be rightly accused of being weak.
What about the court of public opinion as the third tool? Here, public education and awareness is key. The Opposition holds regular press conferences, issues frequent press releases, manages several active Facebook pages, runs several popular podcasts, conducts community outreaches, and holds public meetings. This is a tool with much scope, and the Coalition has not been idle.
As a fifth tool, we must mention the lobbying efforts of the Opposition. The Opposition continues to meet local stakeholders and the diplomatic community—and is active on the US political circuit. It is not by chance that the US government has recently been repeatedly calling for clean government, inclusion, and shared prosperity in Guyana. Nor is it by chance that individual US politicians have been highlighting racial and political discrimination in Guyana.
We come to the tool of extra-parliamentary action. Many supporters have criticized the Opposition Leader for under-using this form of political pressure. The call specifically is for more militancy in the streets. As I see it, this form of political action, to be effective, requires a critical mass of persons, and a particular frequency and intensity of action. Most importantly, once unleashed, the demands cannot be limited to low-level or stand-alone items but for large structural or systemic changes. The call for militancy, however, is a clear indication that many feel that the other tools are inherently ineffective, despite the Opposition’s best efforts. Does SN share this view?
At the end of the day, it will all be determined by national elections. The Opposition must show that it is a better option where improving the quality of lives of Guyanese is concerned. We should note that, while the Opposition embraces infrastructure and other such hardware development, it speaks of a people-centred and people-first vision. It speaks about ending poverty and expanding the middle class. It speaks about a womb-to-tomb social protection system. Last week, on World Children’s Day, it unveiled a policy brief on Early Childhood Care and Education, with the stated goals of ensuring a sound head start in life for all children, and of empowering women with greater opportunities and choices. All these ideas stand in stark contrast to the PPP’s sporadic, unpredictable, uninspiring, and corrupt approach to development.
Yes, the Opposition must continue to work hard. Eventually, the people will decide.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Lowe