MATURED POLITICS REQUIRES MATURED POLITICIANS

Apr 20, 2012 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The view has long been expressed within this column that what was needed to reduce political tensions in Guyana and secure an environment that would allow for more rapid economic development was political maturity.
This was an absent ingredient since 1999 when Guyana had youthful leadership that wanted to do things all at once; wanted to do everything by itself and wanted to have its own way. Youthful leadership failed Guyana, and the country was fortunate that older heads have assumed control of the government and the main opposition partnership.
The view was also expressed in this column that given these circumstances, what Guyana needed was persons of chronological maturity within the leadership of the government and the opposition.
Guyana now has within its political leadership, matured persons who have shown what political maturity can achieve. Over the past few days, substantial political cooperation has been achieved between the government and the main opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). Unfortunately, the Alliance for Change (AFC) blundered its way out of the process because of a misguided attempt at high drama and political theatrics. Its wild and arrogant proposal of deep and arbitrary cuts to the Budget has backfired on the party which is now trying to retreat in order to save face.
On the other hand, APNU seized the opportunity to demonstrate the value of political cooperation and prevent a crisis in the country, which could have led to fresh elections.
The government was open to accommodation with the opposition, something that would never have happened had the government or APNU not been headed by matured political leaders.
There were many who, in the run-up to the elections, had expressed the view that Guyana was moving from a situation of relatively youthful leadership at the political level to one in which both of the leaders of the main political parties were in their mid-sixties.
But having experienced what young leadership did to this country, it was only fitting that the older generation be given the chance to show what it could do. It has been most helpful that the younger generation was not holding the leadership of the respective political parties, because this younger generation, particularly within the PPP, has not demonstrated an inclination towards reaching out to the opposition.
But now with political elders in the leadership of both the PPP and the main Opposition, a difference has been made. The agreements of the past few days could not have been reached under the Jagdeo presidency. It took matured and wiser heads to recognize that an agreement was necessary.
The situation was no doubt compounded by the quarrels between the opposition and the government over control of parliament. Yet these strong differences did not deter the two sides from reaching an agreement, remarkably in a matter of hours, on highly contentious issues.
And the reason why such significant progress has been made is because of the fact that we are dealing with matured individuals, old and wise heads. These men are not into building reputations or egos. Like the matured persons they are, they can see the bigger picture.
Both the president of Guyana and the Opposition Leader should be congratulated in taking Guyana past this very important hurdle. They will no doubt face criticism within their respective parties by detractors who do not wish to see political cooperation, including by the politically ambitious persons within both camps who would wish to see these leaders fail so that they can take over.
The leaders have, however, not given in to these detractors. They have met and reached agreement. There has been a give-and-take approach on both sides. Sense and reason has prevailed. The country has been spared being thrown into another election.
Both sides have gained from this process. The government has exercised its right to craft its own Budget and the opposition has exercised its will to wrest concessions from the government. The president and the leader of the opposition have demonstrated that they are more than capable of putting Guyana first. They were helped in the process by the fact that they are both big men. May they continue in their wise ways!

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