The Third Term Balloon

Nov 23, 2009 Editorial

It would appear that the “Third Term Trial Balloon” for the Presidency just won’t be brought down. Obviously it is being kept up by forces much more buoyant than helium. First raised as a nagging suspicion by some opposition elements more than a year ago, the issue gained enormous traction last August. A NACTA poll purportedly showed that President Jagdeo retained an enormous popularity within the Guyanese populace – outdistancing other leaders from both the opposition and his own party by large margins. Some 47% asserted that they would like to see Jagdeo being allowed to serve a third term – even though he is barred by the present constitution that sets a two term Presidential limit.
Questioned directly on the issue after the NACTA poll sparked a national debate, the President denied – as he had done before – that he was seeking a third term. The PPP, quoting the President, also derided the allegations and pointed out that the party had firmly supported the introduction of Presidential term limits when it was first broached in 1996 and then again in 1999 during the national consultations that led to the stricture becoming enshrined in the constitution. But the murmuring on “third term” continued unabated.
Matters took a quantum leap when a month or so later, the trial balloon assumed a more tangible form: a group, inelegantly dubbed the “Guyanese Coalition For Jagdeo’s Third Term” (GCFJTT), started distributing flyers, buttons and posters calling for a third term for the President. He – and the PPP – once again distanced themselves from the idea and now, GCFJTT. The opposition groups were livid, even though they had to concede that the likely suspects had denied support for the scheme that would need constitutional amendment to become legal. With the PPP – through its General Secretary (GS) – firmly supporting the status quo, it did not seem likely that the issue could be placed on a referendum tacked on to the upcoming Local Government Elections – which is the device most commentators feel a “third term” to be legitimised.
But the balloon refused to come down to earth. Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, M.P., Ex-Co Member of the PPP and head of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha – one of the largest mass-based organisations in the country – publicly called for a third term for President Jagdeo before a mammoth crowd at the organisation’s Diwali Motorcade. The call was received very warmly by the gathering. The President once again demurred and the General Secretary of the PPP made it clear that Pandit Persaud was speaking in his personal capacity. While this may have been so, it did indicate that the PPP’s top leadership were not as monolithic on the issue as its GS might want to convey.
The floaters of the balloon escalated their efforts. A web-site was launched, announcing chapters in NY, Toronto, Miami, etc. that were busy raising funds. A huge billboard, with the President’s image, was erected in the centre of the city and most amazingly-for a group that no one in the PPP or the media could even glean the name of a solitary member–slickly-produced commercials on their behalf calling for a third term began broadcasting on several TV stations in the city.
We believe that the matter is taking on a farcical turn that must be addressed seriously by the President because the matter has serious implications for our country’s governance.
The reasons advocated for the change in the Presidential term limits are a mirror image of those promoted by the partisans of President Uribe in Columbia. While Uribe has still not declared whether he will take up the option and run for the Presidency, the move by his country’s Congress and Senate to facilitate the change has stimulated a healthy debate that augers well for the development of their democratic culture. If President Jagdeo is adamant against another term, he should issue the disclaimer of General Sherman: “If nominated, I will not accept; if drafted, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve.” If the arguments proposed by his partisans are persuasive, he should initiate a debate with the opposition. Let the balloon be anchored.