Election time is the silly season

Oct 04, 2011 Editorial

The silly season is really here and with it, the reality that much has changed since the elections of 2006. There is evidence that many prominent people who appeared to be with one political party or the other, have switched sides.
At the same time, the Guyana Elections Commission is set to produce the Official List of Electors, commonly called the Final Voters’ List. But it is the movement of people from one party or the other that must attract notice. On Sunday, a former high profile member of the PNCR appeared on the PPP stage at the rally held at Albion.
Needless to say, there was shock at the revelation and people are taking note. There has been a similar movement away from the ruling party but those who may have rejected that party have not come forward to campaign on another platform.
People, it is said, switch sides for many reasons. Some see their economic fortunes in the ruling party; some seek favours that can only be granted if they appear to be supportive of the ruling party. And others genuinely feel that the ruling party has offered the best possible option for government in the country.
These must be the people who are influenced by reports and situations other than what often appears in the media. It is a case of being familiar with the various developments, both human and social.
On the other hand, there are those who have left the ruling party because they claim to be disgusted with duplicity, tired of nepotism and sickened by the levels of corruption. These are the people who claim to see the overall picture and understand the modus operandi of the ruling party and the government.
More often than not, though, some people have high expectations for their personal well-being and when these are not met they become disgruntled. They leave the party. The greater issue at hand is whether they have the influence to make others join them. The records would suggest otherwise and this is perhaps why people call this the silly season. It is the time when friends and families walk separate paths.
The country saw in its past, numerous people leaving one political party for the other. During the 1980s many skilled people left the now ruling party for the opposition party. Did they succeed in bringing votes with them? More recently, with the formation of the Alliance for Change, again people left the major parties and set about forming what they say is the vehicle that would bring an end to the kind of politics that existed.
The main opposition party suffered because the pitch was to young people who were not firmly rooted in one party or the other. The impact on the ruling party was less harsh. This time around the young people are expected to make an impact. They are the ones who know precious little of the past and who are the most likely to vote on issues rather than on tradition.
But even they are not as enamoured with elections as their parents may be. They are more interested in things that affect them and politics is certainly not one of them.
There is a more serious aspect to Guyana’s politics. It has to do with people’s support for the political party of their choice. Most of the support is traditional, having been handed down from parents and grandparents. These are the people most likely to take defeat at the polls as seriously as a death in the family.
This is what sparked most of the unrest during past elections. In most countries people accept defeat; they behave in a civilised manner. One argument is that people can effect change through the vote. This is not the case in Guyana so frustration boils over.
The tension reliever may come from the fact that party stalwarts are leaving the ranks. Indeed this is the silly season.

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Election time is the silly season

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