LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!

Oct 13, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Given the number of delegates that attend party conferences, it may reasonably be assumed by the uninformed observer that the ruling People’s Progressive Party does not have more than five thousand fully subscribed members.
These five thousand persons elect every few years a Central Executive of thirty-odd members who in turn elect an even smaller Executive Committee into whose hands the party and as the ruling party, the future of close to eight hundred thousand Guyanese is entrusted.
For an immature mind that must translate into power; for a matured mind, it becomes a critical responsibility.
That so small a group of persons should decide the fate of some many is one of the great anomalies of communist history. But this is how vanguard parties have always operated, claiming to be more representative and democratic when in fact the fate of millions reside in the hands of so few.
The future President of Guyana is going to be decided not by the five thousand-odd members of the PPP, or by the thirty-odd elected by Congress, or by the even smaller cabal that forms part of the Executive Committee; it is not going to be decided by any note sent by any person on their dying bed.
No the future of the presidency of Guyana is going to be in the hands of seven or eight persons whose vote will be critical in deciding just who is chosen to be the PPP’s presidential candidate.
And the votes of these seven or eight persons could very well be decided by one man who can influence how these seven or eight persons on the Executive Committee vote. So in the end what we have is the future of Guyana being in the hands of one man. Now this is democracy for you, PPP style.
This column believes that it is far more democratic for the representatives of the membership of the People’s Progressive Party to decide who should be their candidate at the next election. This option was however forfeited at the last Congress and thus placed into the hands of the Executive Committee who will decide who will run as the PPP’s presidential candidate.
That Congress did not insist on the right to choose the party’s next presidential candidate and thus effectively left the choice to the Executive Committee.
There is, however, a far more democratic option. Since democracy means rule by the people, it would be an act of direct democracy for the people to determine whether they wish a third term for our President. This can be done via referendum and would see the people themselves determining whether Bharrat Jagdeo needs more time to complete his work or whether he should be given marching orders.
Let the people decide, not through some motion being put to the vote in the National Assembly; let the people decide whether they wish a third term for the President. My take is that the people will reject a third term for Bharrat Jagdeo. But once it goes to the people, there can be no turning back.
If the people say they want a third term, then the Constitution must be amended to facilitate such a move.
The practical consideration is that a referendum is a very costly exercise and given the state of readiness of the Guyana Elections Commission is a virtual non-starter. A cheaper option would be a credible poll but the findings of such a poll would never be accepted as authentic and there would be accusations and counter accusations about the rigging of the poll or questions about whether the poll was representative of the will of the people.
Thus, the decision as to who should lead the PPP into the next general elections should be taken back to the membership of the party. Since the PPP may have hundreds of thousands of supporters but is not likely to have more than five thousand book members, it should not be difficult to arrange for each of these five thousand members to cast their ballot over a few days to decide who should be the presidential candidate of the PPP. That should not be too difficult and would show the world that the PPP is as committed to internal democracy as it is to democracy in Guyana.

Latest News

LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 17th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

GPF arrests Presidential Guards by 48 runs as cricket action gets...

Superbet supports One Guyana 3×3 Quest

FIDE Master Drayton outclasses strong competition...

Wiltshire, Chris dominoes tourney set for March

Houston Sec’, New Central, Saints sent packing

Charles’ all-round performance helps EBDCA U23...

Features/Columnists

No immigrant should feel safe in America today

If Guyana’s President Ali is the “Zelensky of the Caribbean”, who is the Putin?

From Bharrat, the Blusterer to Howard, the Coward

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 17th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]