‘Guyana is a fragile democracy’ says Dr. Prem Misir

Feb 21, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
Dr. Prem Misir whose official title is “Advisor to the President” and works in the office of the Presidential Secretariat within close proximity of the President, writes (Kaieteur News, February 19th, ‘Replicating Egypt in Guyana’): “There is more I want to say about Guyana’s fragile democracy but I will do so at another time”. One paragraph later, Dr. Misir mentions something about “democratic gains” and writes, “we need to consolidate Guyana’s fragile democracy through non-stop development and modernization”. Again, one paragraph later, he writes, “the people would take on new norms and values consistent with further developing this fragile democracy”.
Three times in one short published letter Dr. Misir says Guyana is a “fragile democracy”. It is remarkable to hear a presidential advisor admit to something which every Guyanese has known for a long time. Though, of course Dr. Misir would articulate different and unusual reasons for Guyana’s democracy being such a sick patient, and yet still more unusual reasons of how to treat a case of a sick and weak democracy.
This is a very hot topic. I see it showing up every day in the letter columns of the SN and Kaieteur News. Some writers say Guyana is a “dictatorship”; others say it is an “elected dictatorship”.
I believe Guyana is not a democracy. And, if we must use that term simply because there is voting in periodic elections, then I would say it is a fake democracy. Why is it fake? A cursory study of the ethnic politics would indicate that the Indian majority group at 50 percent of the population (COHA report puts it at 48 percent) would always win the election (ceteris paribus) for the foreseeable future. The African group at 35 percent of the population gives practically no support to the Indo-ethnic party. Cross-racial voting by Indians and Africans with regard to Indo-ethnic PPP and Afro-ethnic PNC is practically non-existent. Any Guyanese who denies this simple truth is lying, a paid PR spinner or is in self-denial.
The U.S. ambassador in Georgetown in 1991, describing the politics of Guyana, told a Washington Post reporter: “You cannot have democracy in a country where every last man votes race”. WikiLeaks on Guyana should provide ample evidence of these kinds of reports sent back to the U.S. State department. Nothing has changed in these last 19-years, except a change from an African-led government, to an Indian one. The ethnic parties remain as ethnically pure as they have ever been, still faithfully following an unwritten rule that says only someone of their ethnic base can be leader.
What is the downside of this lack of change, lack of evolution into genuine multi-racial parties and politics? Political and racial tensions permeate all levels of Guyanese society. During these last few weeks, the world media have variously described Egypt as a “tinder box”. Egypt has been fortunate; their tinder box wound down with minimum casualties and property damage. Guyana is palpable tinder box.
The excluded African group – excluded from political power – is seething.
With another election loss in 2011, which is all but a certainty – making it five losses in a row, Guyana is destined to become an Egypt-like tinder box.
What is Dr. Prem Misir’s role in the tinder box that is Guyana? Has he ever advocated the transformation of Guyana’s ethnic parties into genuine multi-racial parties?
Is he happy with the idea of the PPP always being led by an Indian and running a government that has practically no African support, bearing in mind that this country has a substantial African population?
Dr. Misir’s remarkable public admission that Guyana’s “democracy is fragile” – and the public recognition that this fragility is due to lack of broad-based support for an Indian-led government – should help to frame the debate on this question: What can be done to end the existence of ethnic parties and ethnic voting in the land?
The elections billed for 2011 will be run on the old rules of ethnic voting for ethnic parties. These elections could never produce results satisfactory to the minority African-ethnic group.
The ABC countries – and now Norway – must get involved to help this nation of 700,000 people workout a path to genuine democracy, lest we replicate another Egypt in Guyana.
Mike Persaud

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