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The PPP historically has never been opposed to power-sharing

Jun 07, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter by Nigel Westmaas, captioned, “Everything about the present state of the society in Guyana belies the theory of normalcy” (Kaieteur News, Sunday June 5, 2011) in which he sought to create the impression that the PPP historically had been opposed to power-sharing in Guyana.
This view cannot be substantiated by facts and clearly is lacking in objectivity. While I have to admit that I am unfamiliar with what Mr. Hinds referred to as “the theory of normalcy” I am sufficiently aware of the fact that Guyana today has a stable democracy that is rules-based with an advanced constitution and full separation of powers between the branches of government, namely, the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary.
It is true that the PPP enjoys an electoral advantage by virtue of being the oldest and largest political party in Guyana. Despite several attempts to destroy the Party by hostile forces both within and outside of Guyana, the Party has been successful in maintaining its status as the premier political organisation in Guyana and is the only political Party that has grown in size and representativeness in the country. The PPP is today the only and largest multi-racial party in Guyana with significant constituencies that cuts across the ethnic spectrum.
Those who are familiar with our political history, as I am sure Mr. Westmaas is, must know that the PPP for the greater part of its political existence was, at it were, ‘at the receiving end of the stick’ both at the hands of the PNC and by the imperial powers, in particular the United States and Britain who were engaged in a grand conspiracy to deny the PPP from attaining power out of ideological and geo-political considerations. For nearly three decades the PPP was kept out of office by undemocratic means. Interestingly, during that period there were no voices raised in favour of representative democracy or shared governance by the PNC or any other political party or civil society.
The records will show that any real attempt at national reconciliation emanated from the PPP who in the 1960s offered to share government on parity terms but the offer was rejected by the PNC who at that time were in cahoots with western powers and local reactionaries to gain power ‘by other means’.
In the latter half of the 1970’s, again in the national interest, the PPP called for the formation of a National Front government with an agreed programme, but was rejected by the PNC. Again in the run up to the 1992 elections the PPP was instrumental in the formation of a united front, the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD) to confront the PNC dictatorship, but the proposal fell through after the PPP was relegated to a minority status in the proposed outfit.
The PPP’s position, as articulated by its then Leader Dr. Cheddi Jagan was that while the PPP did not want to dominate political space, it at the same time did not wish to be dominated especially given the historical role played by the Party in the struggle for a free and democratic society.
It is my view that the search for a society that is reflective of our diversity is by no means exhaustive and must be pursued at the level of the Constitutional Reform Commission where all the major political parties are represented. More fundamentally, it must be buttressed by a democratic base with strong institutions to protect and consolidate such an arrangement. Shared governance, I submit, cannot be imposed by any party or by civil society.
The objective and subjective conditions for such an eventuality of which trust is an important ingredient is unfortunately not fully manifest in our existing body-politic
Hydar Ally

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