DEFINING MOMENTS

Jun 12, 2015 Editorial

Wednesday June 10, 2015 was a defining moment for Guyana, as Parliament convened for the first time since it was prorogued seven months ago by the former president on November 10, 2014.
The ceremonial opening of the 11th Parliament was the dawn of a new day for all Guyanese but more importantly, for democracy. It was the first sitting in over 10 months. The Parliament had met for the last time in August 2014 when it was revealed that $4.5 billion of taxpayers’ money had been spent without the approval of Parliament. This led to a flurry of vitriolic exchanges between an unconvinced opposition and portentous members of the former minority PPP government.
Whether right or wrong, some have argued that the ex-President felt compelled to prorogue the parliament due to systemic non-cooperation from the then opposition. The rest is history.
Unfortunately, the opening of the country’s 11th Parliament was boycotted by an angry PPP which has not only remained silent on its post-elections plans, but has also refused to submit the names of its Members of Parliament. Despite the absence of the PPP, the proceedings went on as planned and there is fervent hope for a change to the rancorous and bitter debates that essentially sucked the life from the Tenth Parliament.
Following its defeat at the polls on May 11, the primary focus of the PPP has been to challenge the validity of the declared results. The party has already initiated legal action against GECOM and has called for the resignation of its Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, over alleged irregularities. That is a chapter yet to unfold.
And then there have been the lingering questions about cooperation in relation to the Cummingsburg Accord between the PNC-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and its coalition ally, the Alliance for Change (AFC). Any existing rifts were not evident at the opening ceremony of Parliament. The parties are expected to work things out to the satisfaction of both.
In his address to a gathering of only government ministers and MPs, the Head of State praised the ministers and the members of Parliament as he outlined some of his coalition government’s major policies and programmes to the nation as expressed in its election manifesto.
He emphasised that his government would work non-stop to eradicate crime, disease, ignorance and poverty which were dubbed the enemies of the people and the state. His policy agenda includes the creation of jobs for youths, better education and health care, an across the board increase in salaries/wages, improvement of the country’s infrastructure, creating better investment opportunities, reducing VAT and increasing old age pensions. The overall plan is to take the country forward.
But it is not all smooth sailing.
Recently, an even more pressing national problem has surfaced that would require the full and unequivocal cooperation of all, irrespective of political affiliation. It represents another defining moment. It is the 19th century territorial claim by neighbouring Venezuela. The Spanish-speaking nation seeks dominion over Guyana’s Essequibo and much more. It wants to access and exploit resources including oil in this nation’s territorial waters. This type of not-so-diplomatic hostility has been going on for years with no end in sight. It will be highly irresponsible if the new government does not call on the powers that be to settle this frustrating claim once and for all. Venezuela must be made aware, in no uncertain terms, of Guyana’s internationally recognized borders and its territory of 83,000 square miles.
The coalition government must openly seek the help needed to tell the administration in Caracas that enough is enough and that Guyanese will not yield to the unending aggression. Guyana cannot move forward unless its border dispute with Venezuela is settled. And Guyana needs desperately to move forward.

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