THE PPP CAN LOSE ITS PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY

Jan 27, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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The PPP should have no fears about winning the Presidency of Guyana in the 2011 elections. This is a certainty. What is not certain is if the PPP will win a majority in the National Assembly.
The opposition parties, if they are smart, should not be seeking to win the Presidency. They should be seeking to deny the PPP a majority in the National Assembly which will then force the PPP to become more inclusive.
The opposition parties should abandon this pursuit of political cooperation. By now it should be clear that when it comes to the Jagdeo administration, there is not going to be any meaningful political cooperation. All we have is bluff and lip-service to political cooperation, the most recent absurdity being the suggestion by the President that political cooperation was hindered because of the divisions within the opposition.
The concept of political cooperation is an anathema when it comes to the Jagdeo administration. Even after the slaughter that took place at Lusignan when the opposition was willing in the interest of the country to join hands with the government, the government quickly clenched its fists. This is why I believe that the opposition should not waste its time, nor should the government insult the intelligence of the Guyanese people by even mentioning the phrase, political cooperation, so long as Bharrat Jagdeo remains the President of Guyana.
The PPP government is insecure. It does not wish to cede an inch to its political rivals.  Political cooperation according to the incumbent administration means agreeing with the government. This is how perverse things are.
Jimmy Carter knew that a long time ago.  If you read his statement which he issued after his last visit to Guyana, it is clear that he had lost all hope of political compromise and accommodation.
They say however that we must never lose hope. There was a flicker last December when the General Secretary of the PPP indicated that he wished this year to see greater political cooperation. He has had a chance to give effect to his statement. He has been presented with quite a few opportunities in the National Assembly to offer compromises on motions which were piloted by the opposition. He has not done so, but perhaps it was not his call since the government was the one with the obligation to act in these instances and they have demonstrated a stubbornness to do so.
There is concern at the moment about the fate of the PNCR.  But the PPP is in worse shape than the PNCR. At least within Congress Place there is a party to which Robert Corbin can mould. At Freedom House, the leadership of the PPP has totally lost control of the party. The party has been hijacked, and its leadership almost totally alienated from the government.
A majority of those who voted in the last elections made the choice of the PPP. The PPP then formed the government but it has little say about the direction in which this government is going. It is time for the PPP to reclaim its government before it is too late.
A great deal of wrong things and a great deal of silly things are taking place within the ruling administration which can cost the PPP its majority in the next parliament. The PPP cannot afford this if it intends to remain the government, because a vote of no-confidence will mean that it will have to call fresh elections and this could see it losing political power.
The old and experienced leaders of the party should take control of their party and begin to reassert themselves over what takes place within the government. This can only be done by the older heads of the party.
Some of these older heads are likely to be possible candidates for the party’s presidential nomination. They therefore have to take the lead now because it will ultimately be in their interest to ensure that things are done which can allow the party to secure a majority in the next elections. Regaining control of the party is also the first and ultimate test of the candidates’ ability to do what is right for Guyana. If they cannot retake their party, how can they be trusted with the country?
The PPP needs to rein in the government. Its older leaders need to speak up and say no more to what is taking place within the administration. They need to be more engaged with the opposition in parliament so as to solve problems, not create them. They need to speak out against the political excesses. They need to hold their leaders accountable and not be unwilling to discipline them, as they have disciplined others, over the many sordid acts which have been committed. They need to take back their party and government.

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