A caricature of respectable governance

Nov 27, 2014 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
Donald Ramotar has been derelict in his duty. He has failed to honour the results of his election in 2011. During the past three years at the helm of the PPP/C administration he has refused to cooperate with the majority opposition who have passed several bills beneficial to all Guyanese. These bills having been debated and passed in the National Assembly, but remain on his desk unsigned. He has trampled on the rights of citizens.
The Constitution provides for Local Government Elections every three years. There has been none since 1997. He squeaked into office in 2011 promising to right the wrongs of his predecessor, though he was party to the violations having sat as a PPP/C Member of Parliament since 1992 and general secretary of his Party from 1997.
From 2011 to 2014, opportunities abounded for this minority President and his administration to work in consort with the majority opposition in the interest the entire population of less than a million people.
The little political capital he had, being new to helms of power, he squandered by pandering to those he perceived “made him”. He has lost his way. He has allowed ministers to hijack his day in the sun and run amok with impunity.
This scandal-plagued administration, led by a hapless minority President, has failed to distance itself and to rein in, those who ran afoul of the law and those who blatantly espouse the breaching of it.
So far, the population has been subjected to a caricature of what respectable governance is.
Mr Ramotar by his tacit support and inaction must be of the view that as time passes, the electorate will forget. What he doesn’t know is he is sitting on a powder keg of frustration.  A brazen disregard for the laws of the land, wanton abuse of the public purse, spending of money unapproved by parliament, violation and distortion of the constitution, misusing the judicial arm in an attempt to muzzle and terrorize the guardians of the constitution by brandishing frivolous law suits has drawn the ire of the population.
When there was a need to show the door and to “feral blast” the Attorney General, all the Nation got was a feral wimper!
Mr Ramotar’s failure to act has further degraded his relevance as a Leader of this nation.
What he has failed to realize is his audience is astute.
It is the misreading of the population that has caused him to continue with his head in the sand and seen him fail to recognize the nation gave him a majority opposition to work with. He can twist and turn, prorogue, duck and hide; the reality will remain the same. He will have to face the majority opposition in parliament, unless he wants to continue to be a despot for the remainder of his term.
All democracies have checks and balances on various independent arms of governance, as such, the Judiciary, Police, Army, procurement  commissions, Public and Teaching Service Commissions, to name a few, should be free of political interference and not be used as tools or extensions of any political party.
There are certain clauses within the constitution, such as the no confidence clause, which provide for a recalcitrant government that has run amok to be brought to its senses.
This no confidence clause first appeared in a Westminster parliamentary use in 1782. It has been enshrined in at least 50 democratic countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Japan, Haiti, Cook Islands, Somalia, Tuvalu, and Turkey. Big states and small states.  It has been used in excess of 117 times. Some democratic rulers may have borne the brunt of it more than once.
Some have sought to mislead the population into thinking the use of the no confidence clause is unconventional and support should be given to the minority President for his undemocratic act of proroguing parliament. Aforementioned, there is precedence in the use of the no confidence clause, as such there is no validity to such an opinion.
No amount of lofty, misguided attempts to appease the population, urging support of a President who has thrown out its representatives from parliament in attempt to institutionalize lawless unparliamentarily backroom discussion without repercussion, will serve as a solution for a constitutionally mandated forum for debate and dissent.
The only salient argument to advance and deepen democracy is to restore parliament without delay to deal with constitutional violations such as delinquency in constituting procurement and service commissions, usurping the authority of municipalities, town councils, village Overseers, and failure to hold Local Government Elections
There is no vindication, no justified use for prorogation! If so, why would the guardians of democracy register a high crescendo of objections to its use?
The Speaker of the National Assembly, the Leader of the majority opposition, OAS, UK, and foremost, the vigilant citizens of this great country, will not cower in the face of this deliberate adulteration of our constitution.
Yes, Guyana will emerge stronger as soon the dictatorial, unilateral action on the part of the minority President withers. No Guyanese democrat embraces an impotent parliament or a President who seeks to render it such!
If Mr Ramotar wants to talk, he will get out of the shadow of his handlers and affix his signature to the bills on his desk, honour the constitution that allows him to sit in the chair of the President, and reconvene parliament.
Louis Nestor

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