Is a tragedy necessary before shared governance become a reality?

Jan 17, 2010 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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The cataclysmic earthquake in Haiti, and its consequences have inspired such commendable humanitarian efforts around the globe that one is compelled to ask the question: why does it take a tragedy to bring out our humanity?
This phenomenon is not unique to Guyana, as a review of our own history will reveal. Indeed, we have witnessed unprecedented united efforts by our citizens in the wake of disasters, whether human or natural. There are several lessons, therefore, to be learnt from our own experiences, as a review of a few significant tragedies will illustrate.
“There is no ill wind that blows nobody any good.” The ill winds of those events did bring to Guyana some useful lessons and did in fact bring some good, albeit, very fleeting. Is it therefore not the appropriate time for Guyana to learn from the lessons of history and take the opportunity to make the fundamental changes necessary for lasting and real development of our country?
On the other hand, is another tragedy necessary before we take the bold step of making shared governance a reality?
GUYANA NOT IMMUNE FROM DISASTER
While Guyana is not located in either the hurricane or earthquake belt, our country is not immune from natural disasters. The ever-present threat of the Atlantic Ocean along our about six-feet-below-sea level coastline and the continuous reality of sea-level rise from global warming, should be a constant reminder of how vulnerable Guyana is to a tsunami or devastating floods.
The memories of the 2005 flood along the coast of Guyana are still with most Guyanese. The unpreparedness of Guyana for such a disaster was evident, albeit, all Guyanese from primary school level were taught of the vulnerability of our below sea level coastline.
Guyana has experienced several other disasters, however, which were not caused by Mother Nature.
The 1963-1964 racial and political disturbances, the political disturbances after the 1997 General and Regional Elections, the crime spree following the 2002 jailbreak and the Lusignan and Bartica massacres also provide some useful lessons that could be instructive for all Guyanese who are serious about taking Guyana forward.
THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE
Within hours of receiving information of the devastating earthquake and its consequences, Guyana was able to mount a national united response. The President was able to consult with the Opposition Leader on Guyana’s response and receive total support for an immediate contribution from our national treasury of US$1M; Guyanese organizations and stakeholders from across the political, religious, cultural, business and social spectrum were ready and willing to assemble at the Office of the President within hours to discuss a national united relief effort.
Agreement on the establishment and composition of a National Haiti Relief Committee was speedily reached and by the next morning, Thursday, January 14, the Committee had met and finalized a programme to commence relief mobilization.
By Thursday evening, in a strange twist of fate, the national radio and television, NCN, was parading personalities across the political and religious divide in the same studio, making a united appeal to the humanitarian instincts of Guyanese and urging them to co-operate in the effort to take relief to the traumatized survivors in Haiti.
The impact was immediate. Before the end of that first programme, the Committee was able to mobilize in excess of $8M. No one can doubt that the appearance of our national leaders in every sphere of human activity in a never-before-seen, programme on NCN made a significant difference to the response of Guyanese.
The obvious question is why did it take the tragedy in Haiti to make such a commendable achievement possible?
FLEETING GLIMMERS OF HOPE
As events unfolded, one could not help but reflect on some glimmers of hope following some catastrophic events in Guyana over the past years, which, sadly, were fleeting in Nature.
Guyana was faced with its greatest natural disaster, challenge during the 2005 floods. Before the magnitude of that flood was fully understood, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Robert Corbin, after a tour of flooded Albouystown, telephoned President Jagdeo suggesting a National response to the impending crisis.
Whether in response to that request or on his own initiative, the President grasped the gravity of the situation and initiated such a response. Within days, a National Relief Committee, similar but more elaborate than the one quickly assembled to take relief to Haiti, was established.
Specialist skills, which Guyana has in abundance, were quickly working in a coordinated approach and pooling their knowledge to alleviate the suffering. Religious, social, business and political organizations rallied to the cause and within days were all working assiduously along the coast making their contributions.
The story is well known by now.
That co-coordinated effort, which brought glimmers of hope, was short-lived. Soon after, the same NCN, that found it convenient to parade personalities across the political spectrum on Thursday evening, was transmitting images that conveyed the impression that only PPP functionaries were active in the field.
The food relief efforts became highly politicized thus erupting controversy. The call by the PNCR for an emergency sitting of the National Assembly to discuss the situation fell on deaf ears and an account for the millions donated by Guyanese and friends of Guyana overseas are yet to be fully accounted for by the Government. Guyanese must continue to pray and thank the Almighty God that the threatened conservancy dam did not collapse. Yet after such a major disaster, we neither learnt lessons nor grasped the opportunities the situation presented.
THE CRIME SPREE AND THE LUSIGNAN AND BARTICA MASSACRES
The 2002 jailbreak, which ushered in an unprecedented crime wave in our country, followed by other sordid events, provided other opportunities for the nation to grasp, yet, we failed to do so.
Immediately after the crime wave erupted, frantic efforts were made in a national effort to have a Communiqué on Crime. Promising meetings of stakeholders were held at the library of the Supreme Court with all major stakeholders participating.
Regrettably, despite the gravity of the situation, those discussions soon petered out into political recrimination. Until, in the natural flow of events, the Nation faced the consequences in the Lusignan and Bartica massacres.
Significantly, the Lusignan massacre was insufficient to instill the courage to undertake a national response. The motion tabled by the Leader of the Opposition to have the Lusignan massacre discussed in the National Assembly was ignored and it was not until the Bartica massacre occurred that the will was summoned to invoke a national consultation on the crime situation.
Again, all Guyanese and their organizations rallied to the cause and relied on the undertaking to institutionalize national consultation with stakeholders. This development would have made a reality of Article 13 of our Constitution.
That glimmer of hope was extinguished as soon as it appeared to the PPP Administration that they had secured the promised millions from the British Government for the security sector plan.
As it turned out, even that money was eventually lost, precisely because of our failure to learn the lessons from the events that made national consultation possible at that time.
RACIAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE
There are many other events from which lessons can be learnt, but the limited space in this column does not permit a full analysis. It is useful, however, to refer to the racial and political disturbance of 1963 and 1964.
Many young Guyanese did not experience and will, perhaps, never be able to appreciate how near Guyana was to the precipice of total destruction. This column is not intended to analyse the causes or consequences of those tragic events. Whether it was the campaign of, “NO PR OR DEATH, or the alleged, “X 13 PLAN” cannot be discussed here.
Rather, it is the lessons to be learnt that is the focus. At that time, Guyanese of different ethnic groups who had lived together for years as good neighbours, were torn apart by racial and political strife.
Neighbour killed neighbour. Slogans such as, “C… R…”, were invoked in our lexicon, and, within a few months the land which later adopted the motto of, “ONE PEOPLE: ONE NATION: ONE DESTINY”, became polarised by racial strife and almost partitioned like South Africa .
People of mixed race found it difficult to find safe haven. Had there not been the speedy intervention of British troops the events that occurred recently in Rwanda would not have been the first.
PEACE AND UNITY
In spite of that grave situation, there were still many lessons to be learnt. By 1965, Forbes Burnham and other leading politicians were moving across the country striving to re-establish peace and unity. The reality forced a coalition of political parties, the PNC and the UF, which espoused completely different political philosophies in the interest of the Nation. Guyana gained political independence and subsequently Republican status. However, were any lessons learnt?
THE CALL FOR SHARED GOVERNANCE
All Guyanese know the answer by an examination of the polarized politics and voting patterns that still exist. In recent times, these divisions have become more acute, forcing many citizens to review our system of Governance. Indeed, the call for Shared Governance was not initiated by the PNC.
It arose from national consultations that were considered necessary by the Private Sector Commission, under the then Chairmanship of Mr. Peter De Groot. That organisation considered it necessary to initiate talks among the major stakeholders on a way forward for the development of our country.
The PNC, which initially resisted the proposal, eventually after prolonged discussion, understood the wisdom of such an approach and by 2002 made a public declaration of its commitment to this initiative. Regrettably, like many other subsequent initiatives the proposal has become the victim of political expediency and recrimination.
LESSONS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
There are other lessons to be learnt from other countries. It took several coup d’etat in Fiji for such an approach to be seriously implemented. It took post-election violence and the death of thousands in Kenya before the people of that country awakened to their reality, and, it took sordid events in Zimbabwe before the major parties considered the wisdom of working together in the interest of all the people of that country.
Not all of these examples are useful to emulate, but they are sufficient to remind of the well-known Guyanese proverb, “When you neighbour house pun fire start throwing water pun your own.”
The case for Shared Governance in Guyana has already been made and not only by the PNCR. The question that we need to ponder is whether we need another tragedy to motivate us to make it a reality.

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