Beautiful democracy! Simply beautiful

Sep 24, 2008 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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There are times I wonder if we in Guyana will forever be left behind. I ran into this stranger at Nigel’s Supermarket.

She introduced herself to me, said that she lived in Jamaica and that she has now returned to live and work in the country into which she was born.

She pointed out to me that I must understand that not only in Guyana are the poorer classes neglected. In Jamaica, she continued, class differences are horrible. The subject turned to democracy. She agreed with me that the problem with Guyana is unchanging government.

I told her that the Caricom states have retained their democratic institutions, inherited from the Westminster system that the PPP regime in the sixties, the PNC administration from the seventies, then, the present PPP government have completely destroyed.

My point was that it is unthinkable to find a Permanent Secretary in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad being a candidate in the national elections.

Thomas (Barbados), Manning (Trinidad) and Golding (Jamaica) would be so mad that those civil servants would have to run away to Mars.

If you want to see Manning, Thompson and Golding die of apoplexy, then, let the UWI Vice Chancellor take up a candidate’s role in the national elections.

Here in Guyana, long before Bharrat Jagdeo was born, Cheddi Jagan rejected the British concept of the neutral civil service. Mr. Burnham was on the same wavelength.

Today, three PSs in the civil service are sitting members of the PPP leadership. I failed to see how, US green card holder or US citizen (I don’t which one), Dr. Leslie Ramsammy could have failed to mention in his letter in this paper last week, that in the US, this would not be tolerated.

The American Attorney-General is suspected of firing a few federal prosecutors because of his perceived political bias. He had to run quickly away from the American Government. That is democracy at work.

The nasty assault on democratic institutions that the past PNC and present PPP cabals have perpetrated on this nation constitutes a crime against humanity.

Some PPP leaders, particularly the President, would use some harsh words to describe undemocratic departures in American democracy. There is constant American bashing in the weekly Mirror newspaper of the PPP.

There can be no doubt that some serious dents have been made to British democracy under Blair and the American justice system under the present Bush Administration. What these PPP leaders would never understand or would never want to understand is that despite its imperial drive since WW2, the democratic institutions of the US have grown so strong that they exist independent of the executive branch of government. It is called evolutionary democracy. The same obtains in the UK.

This brings us to one of the most morally gratifying expressions of democracy in the 21st century. It occurred in Israel last week.

The President of Israel is a nominal figure. His office is essentially ceremonial. Real power lies in the hands of the Prime Minister. The police have been investigating Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for corruption. They concluded last week that he should be indicted.

During all the time the inquiry was going on, Olmert kept his distance from the police investigators because he knew that he would have had to resign immediately if he had tampered with the probe.

This is genuine democracy at work. This is the essence of democracy. The police must at all times be above the reaches of ruling politicians who have their agendas.

If the police can be found in the pocket of the executive presidency (which the US, France, South Africa and others have) or the Prime Ministership (which the Caricom islands, Israel, Malaysia, and other states have) then there can be no democracy. Malaysia proved to be an egregious example of the police in the pocket of a Prime Minister.

It would seem that the charge of homosexuality against the then deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Abrahim, was contrived by then Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir, to keep him out of power. Abrahim was freed by the courts.

Now the new PM has instituted a similar charge at a time when Abrahim’s party look set to dissolve Malaysia’s long reigning dynasty. Imagine the Olmert scenario happening in Guyana. When would we ever live to see that day?

Prime Minister Olmert of Israel has agreed to resign because of the police findings. In South Africa, a judge has brought down a powerful President.

The judge ruled that there was political interference in the charges brought against Deputy President Jacob Zuma. The hint was that President Mbeki was involved. On Sunday, he resigned. These fine examples of democracy, Guyana may never have.

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