New goal for the Opposition

Nov 07, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
As Lord Acton reminded us, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
First the PNC and now the PPP has shown to the Guyanese people that when a party has been in power for too long with no end in sight, its prolonged stay becomes counterproductive, political stagnation sets in, and then there is regression into corruption and crime.
The PPP has been in power now for 18 years with no end in sight, and I do not think there are many people who will deny that corruption and crime have become cancerous tumours eating away at the vitals of the country.
Not that the PPP should alone be blamed. By and large, it has not done so badly as some people would like us to believe, and their stay in power is really by default, since in all those years there have been no opposition with the ability to displace them. One cannot expect the party to voluntarily give up power, as in the game of politics a party proves its right to govern by its ability to win.
Yet in the best interest of Guyana the PPP’s prolonged reign should now be interrupted. They should either be in opposition for a while, or at the very least, they should be forced to accept partnership in a coalition government. I think that will be a revitalizing and cleansing process for them, and a healing time for the nation, for I am sure there are many who agree that periodic changes of government in a democracy is necessary for the political health of that society.
Since the PPP understandably will not resign or share their rule with others, the weight once again falls upon the Opposition to work to achieve that change. That Opposition is now the PNC and the AFC, since all the other parties are either paper parties or one-man shows that do not matter any more.
So how should the Opposition proceed? Of course they will have their strategists who will map out their course, but it seems to me that a common mistake was being made in past elections, which was that those opposition parties separately set their eyes upon their individual victory, and they enter the contest with gusto and fight and slander and cuss out each other and the majority of the populace look upon them humourously and then go vote PPP.
What the two opposition parties should realise is that at this time in a straight fight they cannot beat the PPP. Even though the Jagan mystique is gone and their presidential contenders are just ordinary Guyanese without any particular charisma or public appeal, that party is yet the strongest and there is yet a habit of voting for it among a large section of the people.
I suggest that the Opposition lower its sight. Don’t go for total victory, but devote all their planning strategies energies and resources to prevent the PPP from gaining a majority, by reducing that party’s support as far as possible below the half-way mark. They should not fight each other, and they should put up the very best people available to them, regardless of race.
For the PNCR I suggest Winston Murray as the Presidential Candidate and Dr. Faith Harding as his running mate. The PNCR now do not have a stronger team than that, and selecting Murray would show that they are maturing.
The AFC already have theirs. What is left for them is hard work and keeping their eyes fixed upon the goal, and by hard work I mean not just TV adverts and public meetings, but actually going among the people, talking to them one on one, and encouraging all supporters to come out and vote.
And how would the PPP take that? They could either ignore it or they could react. They could put up Dr. Roger Luncheon as their candidate and Priya Manikchand as his running mate, and I am very serious when I say that if they do, the PPP will be there for yet another five years.
But the picture that is attracting me most is one in which the PPP falls short of a majority and there is a coalition between them and the PNCR.
I try to imagine Dr. Luncheon as President and Murray as Prime Minister in an amended constitution that will give the Prime Minister real power. Guyana’s halcyon days may then begin.
Kumar D. Doobay

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