What guarantee can be given to African Guyanese that executive power sharing will bring them new opportunities?

Aug 04, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
As the nation observes the 175th anniversary since the African community was emancipated from chattel slavery, there continues to be yearly, monthly and daily analyses and evaluations of the affairs of the African community and the path this group has travelled. The Guyana situation, which impacts on our day-to-day lives, must be placed in context, guided by universal declarations and conventions, national constitution and laws. The thrust for the forward movement of this community must see us using these instruments, provided that they are not there to subjugate us.
The calls by some leaders in the African community for a new dispensation premised on the change in the current constitution must be examined against what currently exists. The constitution in its present state makes provision for freedoms, rights and protections for every citizen and these are grounded in the United Nations Declarations and ILO Conventions.   For instance this constitution protects every race from discrimination; guarantees every group’s right to involvement in national decision-making that impact their wellbeing, the right to work, freedom of expression, right to association; mandates an “independent” judiciary; makes Parliament the nation’s highest decision-making forum; and holds the executive and public officials accountable to the people through institutions such as the Public Procurement Commission, Ombudsman and appellate tribunals. These are elements if we demand their adherence and existence offer every group dignity, respect, equality and opportunities for advancement.
To call for changes to the constitution without testing the current elements speaks to an atmosphere where there exists ambivalence as to conceptualising, developing and implementing a programme that can realise the dreams and aspirations of this community. There is a call from some groups that the constitution needs to change because the president is above it.  The much mis-interpreted Article 182 becomes the justification for such argument and resignation, when the president cannot, by common sense, be above an instrument he has taken an oath to uphold and the very instrument outlines the citizenry’s wellbeing and offers a road map for good governance and holding office holders accountable.
There is also the popular argument and belief that the plight of the African community can only be improved when the country sees shared executive power among the political parties. In the current circumstance it is obvious that when African villages and communities are under seized, some African politicians and leaders rather than seeking to understand the problem of the affected they chose to involve in abstract evaluations, skewed to subdue the passions that emerge and make proposals for programmes without taking cognisance of the views and feelings of those affected.
What assurances can be given to the African community that executive power sharing will bring new opportunities for their development? Or this will see an improvement in the African lot? In every society, every group and every race there are good and bad people, they are persons who care about the collective and those who think only about their self-interests. And this is why constitution and laws are put in place to hold persons accountable for their conduct in public and private places and how they treat with the people’s business.
In our current circumstance the executive and its attendant arms that are being accused of discriminating against the community, comprise of African who prominently identify with the African community on issues and events such as celebrating emancipation and the Village Movement. We have seen the struggles in Region 10 in 2012 and the advancement of that struggle saw the absent of leading Black politicians in this country. And if today while in opposition they are not inclined to defend Africans when they are discriminated against and advance their rights based on the constitution, when they are put into the executive it is foolhardy for us to ever think that they will defend and advance the African cause.
This issue is not about emotions. This issue is about the realities on the ground and developing a programme premised on the instruments accepted by all of us. If for some reason we find there are deficiencies after we have applied and tested these instruments then we must seek to strengthen same. For those who call for the changing of the constitution let them be reminded that it calls for a two-third majority in parliament, a proportion you do not have control over. And let us be real about society; power concedes nothing without a consistent and resolute struggle that can put your opponent in a position where they cannot retreat further.
You will not get two-third majority but the instrument (constitution) that you have today that you have not tried and tested is at your disposal. And the refusal by the proponents to fight within this parameter, or finding excuses for not doing so speaks to a sense of either being lazy or carrying the community down the line for personal aggrandisement. We cannot allow our leaders to continue to mislead and use our people for personal satisfaction in the absence of a programme that is founded on universal principles, charters, and laws; and the Guyana Constitution.
Lincoln Lewis

 

 

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