The Cummingsburg Accord

On Saturday, APNU and AFC formally announced that they have formed a pre-electoral coalition to contest the upcoming May 11 elections. They also signed the Cummingsburg Accord which they said would see an end to winner takes all politics in Guyana, and herald the formation of a Government of national.

At the press conference, the leadership of both parties tried desperately to sell the new coalition as the only viable option of unseating the ruling the PPP/C. They insisted that together they could herald an era of constitutional reform which they argued is badly needed, healing and reconciliation, socio-economic change and creation of a new political system aimed at ending race politics.

Interestingly, the new coalition which has not yet done basic things such as choosing a name and symbol, vowed not to lock out the PPP/C from its governance structures if it wins the May elections.

It was clear from the tone of the comments made by the leaders of both parties that they have neither given any significant thought to some of the promises they have made to the Guyanese public at this infantile stage.

How does the new coalition intend to address the ethnic insecurities in Guyana? How do they plan to campaign?

To add insult to injury, the media was not given a copy of the Accord which was signed so that an independent analysis could be done of its strengths and weaknesses, policies, and thrust. Recall, that these two political parties chose to negotiate in secrecy and away from the watchful eyes of their supporters and financiers.

Even after the signing of the agreement, their supporters and by extension the general public, were unaware of what concessions were given up to arriving at the deal. This in itself smacks of a lack of transparency and accountability.

It has failed to dispel the rumours that the AFC’s bargaining chip was its ability to convince East Indian Guyanese that they could trust a coalition with the PNCR and APNU given their own history.

The leadership of the two sides has also failed to remove the suspicions that the AFC promised to deliver 11 per cent or more votes from PPP/C strongholds to the coalition in return for the conferral of more powers on the Prime Ministerial post.

The Accord is not historic, and its signing is anything but a water shed moment in Guyana’s political landscape. It appears opportunistic and convenient, but not the only option of unseating the ruling Government and creating an administration of national unity.

If either of these parties wanted to form a Government of national unity, their negotiations should have been done in the public. If that was not possible, then the minutes of their meetings and the newly inked Accord should have been widely disseminated for perusal.

The PPP/C, which remains the largest and most influential political actor in the country should have been formally invited to the talks. The truth is, there can no Government of national unity or no shared governance agreement without the PPP/C, regardless of how it is viewed by other actors in the political sphere.

Edmund Burke is quoted as saying that “those who have once been intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never can willingly abandon it. They may be distressed in the midst of all their power, but they will never look to anything but power for their relief”.

Sadly, following their display and posture in the 10th Parliament, the statement above appears as gospel when one considers this new Accord and the new coalition arrangement. The Cummingsburg Accord should be seen for what it is worth. It is a mere power sharing arrangement between the AFC and APNU should they get into office.

It does nothing for the people of Guyana and offers no new hope that would not have been promised by the two main parties had they decided to go to the polls alone come May 11.