Dear Editor,
Recently, friends have posed the question to me whether my continued advocacy of electoral reform for Guyana has achieved anything and is worth the effort. After four years working with the Electoral Reform Group and with another election on the horizon, they want to know what, if anything, has changed for the better. I’m grateful for the questioning. It has forced a personal pause and some necessary reflection. It deserves an answer. I know that underlying the question is the cynical view abroad is that nothing will change in Guyana because the political leaders do not want change. They control the governance system and if they don’t want change, it will not happen.
After some reflection, my conclusions boil down to two basic considerations. Firstly, electoral reform remains an urgent priority. Four years of increased incomes from the oil industry have not changed that. With the PPP/C completely in control of the national coffers and rule-making and a political opposition widely viewed as emasculated, there is an increased sense of disorder, and living conditions for ordinary citizens that are not getting easier. It is clear that the country needs major institutional overhaul (since government financial resources is not the problem), and that overhaul must start with electoral reform. What we have is a distressed status quo, and for me the choice is simple: either you are in favour of transformative change or the status quo. And if you are not prepared to take a stand to change the status quo, you are supporting it.
My second consideration is that civil society is the hope of Guyana. With national elections around the corner, the political parties are already gearing up. While we can expect the political parties to roll out lists of promises – they have already started – the silence on the question of constitutional and electoral reform is deafening. The support to the establishment of the Constitution Reform Commission has been lackluster, with no party giving any idea of their policy directions. It is up to civil society to push a transformative agenda or it will not happen. The Government evidently recognizes the potential of civil society by its not sparing any vitriol in its responses to civil society initiatives or criticisms. Civil society activism is therefore vitally necessary service to this country.
So to answer the original question, has electoral reform advocacy achieved anything? It has kept the fire burning regarding the necessary institutional agenda. It remains the best hope of transformation to a more orderly, stable, developing society. It matters not what your political leaning is, people committed to a better Guyana must link up across the social and political spectrum to build change. Who knows how much of a role civil society has played in the establishment of the CRC? Civil society must organize, continue its work and refuse to be silenced.
Sincerely,
Desmond Thomas
