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Trust, respect and legitimacy required from politicians for a better Guyana
– House Speaker
By Abena Rockcliffe
While Guyana is seemingly being enveloped in “chaos”, citizens have a duty to fight. On the other hand, politicians are obligated to work hard to regain and maintain the trust of the citizens so that all can move forward together and build a better Guyana.
That is the opinion of Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman.
The attorney-at-law said this at the convening of the Media/Parliament workshop he hosted last week. That is the same media workshop which was boycotted by Members of Parliament sitting on the Government’s side.
Trotman told a gathering dominated by news reporters and opposition Members of Parliament that a fresh look needs to be taken at the words: “Trust”, “Respect”, and “Legitimacy”.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman
He opined that the three are the most important things needed in Guyana, at the moment.
The House Speaker explained that if there is no trust, then there can be no respect and if there is no respect then the state institutions like the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary would lack the necessary legitimacy to discharge their important functions. The result is “a creeping and then a sudden sprint towards anarchy.”
Trotman pointed to recent reports in the news of what is happening within local communities; the “gridlock and vitriol that characterises the Parliament and some strange decisions emanating from the courts, would suggest that Guyana has started to get up from the creeping position. It is frightening to say the least.”
He cited recent statistics from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) which shows that, globally, there are low levels of trust for politicians and Parliaments.
Politicians will need to overcome the lack of trust in them and embrace a more inclusive approach to politics if democracy is to thrive in the future.
Trotman quoted President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Abdelwahad Radi, who said that “Democracy is always facing new challenges. Public disengagement and disillusionment, with traditional politics today leading to increased marginalisation of groups within society and is undermining peace and democracy…Parliamentarians, representing the will of the people, have to change both mind-sets and behaviour and reconnect with the people through a less conflictual and more inclusive way of doing politics.”
The Speaker expressed his belief that efforts from politicians to show respect to the people of Guyana in displaying legitimacy, will result in renewed trust.
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