Guyana can be the victor if politicians put country first

Last Friday, President David Granger revealed that there was no power sharing proposal being discussed between the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change coalition and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
When quizzed by the media at his third press conference since coming to power back in 2015, President Granger frankly said there was no powering sharing proposal on the table, as he opined that it was “too late” structurally to embark on a reconfiguration of his Cabinet even if there were to be such a proposal.
The President, using his own deliberate judgement, also said “so what we have (is) as soon after we got into office, there was a proposal that we should meet to discuss… inclusionary democracy but there is no proposal on the table for power sharing… whatever that means, but certainly in terms of inclusionary democracy.
Mr Granger’s admission presents the public and all those who had championed the cause of changing Guyana’s governance structure in order to create a more inclusive, cohesive and unified country with much food for thought.
It also disclosures the fact that after three years, the coalition – which formed the Government – has failed to make any meaningful progress towards the ideals of shared governance or power sharing between the two major political groupings as envisioned by the founding leaders of his People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) party – Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte.
This is despite the fact that Granger himself had committed himself back in 2015 after winning the presidency to consider the possibility of sharing power with the PPP which had won 49 per cent of the vote according to the Guyana Elections Commission.
He had said in September of 2015 that “We have at all times aimed at having inclusionary democracy and inclusionary government, so that the 49 per cent don’t feel locked out”. He had even endorsed Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s banter about forming a national unity government in order to move Guyana forward into a period of enlightenment and modernity characterised by reconciliation, trust and healing.
But yet again, as the year races through its last quarter, Guyana has found itself at another critical and pivotal place in its history, even after finding oil in commercial quantities.
The fact that the political heads of those parties, which form the coalition, appear indifferent and unconcerned about the Opposition positioning at this time is telling and appalling. It means they believe they can turn the fortunes of this country around without the PPP. They feel they alone possess the qualities, ideas and philosophies that can guide public policy, which in turn would impact the livelihoods of thousands of Guyanese who come from diverse backgrounds and historic enclaves.
From the posture and tone of some of the coalition leaders, Guyana does not need the PPP, as their coalition is inclusive enough and surviving thus far. Others feel that they can engineer the disappearance of the PPP and its leaders from the scene by embarking on a systematic campaign to rewrite aspects of Guyana’s history.
Leaders, who support and endorse the position in regard to locking the Opposition out of Government and ruling alone have no place in a modern, civilised, disciplined and democratic Guyana.
If Guyana is to move forward and embark on a genuine process of healing and reconciliation, political leaders must admit that there is no such thing as a “pure multi-ethnic party” in Guyana. Both the PNC and the PPP draw their strength from the two major ethnic groups in this country; as did the United Force back in the days, when it was strongly supported by Amerindians.
The two major races hardly ever deflect, because of their suspicions about each other and the divisive rhetoric of their leaders, who quietly preach propaganda that eventually undermines the unification process. When they are frustrated, the two groups, with support from all of the other minor races, deliver shocks when they change the voting patterns or withhold support for their own party, as was seen at the elections in 1999, 2003, 2011 and possibly 2015.
But the politicians are not learning. If they accept that they aspire to represent all Guyanese, but their base is particularly composed of one ethnic group, whose interest they defend and represent, Guyana will be on the path to ethnic and political reconciliation. Leaders from both the PNC and PPP, if they work to put their past behind them and attempt to genuinely negotiate a power-sharing agreement or a formula for shared Government, as well as a system where the ‘winner does not take all’, Guyanese would be the only victors, because such a system can be seen as practical only if all parties are on board in 2018.
If the coalition does not get serious about constitutional reform, shared governance and national unity, it means it is happy with ‘managing the decline of a once great country’. Having a few meetings as adumbrated by the Constitution does not result in ‘inclusionary democracy or Government’.