The politics of the opposition

Aug 01, 2015 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The politics of the opposition in Guyana has always been to make the government look bad. The people of the country have been hearing about a national front government, a government of national unity, all-inclusive government and all sort of government that would suggest that the government and the opposition would work toward a common goal.
With the Westminster system of government in place there must be an opposition whose primary role is to keep the government in check; to ensure no untoward spending and such. The opposition is a voice of a significant section of the society.
In Guyana, the political opposition and the government appear to be poles apart. It is as if they are committed to doing exactly the opposite of what the other does or seeks to do. Rarely do they collaborate.
We have seen them collaborate in the face of the threat by neighbouring Venezuela which is making a claim to a most significant portion of Guyana. When Guyana pursued a programme of nationalization, again there was collaboration although the then opposition leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan said that he was giving critical support.
In cases of non-contentious legislation the political parties seem to have a common ground. When the government took the bill to eradicate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the various parliamentarians made it clear that they were free to vote according to their consciences. The majority voted to pass the Bill which allowed people to behave according to their sexual orientation.
It was the same with the Bill that legalized abortions. There were those whose religious persuasion dictated that they oppose abortions. On the other hand, there were those who felt that the woman should have control of her body and therefore that she had the last call about abortions.
As could be expected, the National Assembly voted according to the conscience of the Member of Parliament.
The last time a major Bill saw a united opposition was when Guyana voted to legalize gambling. The vote might not have been unanimous but it saw members of the government and the opposition sharing a common position.
Those days seem long past. The government is pursuing a course that appears to support its contention that the previous administration was corrupt. It is finding money hidden in various accounts, outside of the Consolidated Fund. Just yesterday, the authorities caused to be passed before the courts, a former Government Minister. The charge is fraud involving state assets.
The dismissals that followed the accession to office of the new government have been labeled as political witch-hunt and the opposition has spared no pains in pushing this message. It has gone even further to make the government look bad. From claims of dictatorial behavior to claims of extravagance, the opposition is leveling charges against the government and some of these charges are being believed.
On Tuesday, the government was forced to make a statement on a report that it was importing fifty-two luxury vehicles for use by its Ministers and senior Government officers. The opposition released what it considered an emergency statement late yesterday afternoon, in time to catch the evening news. It mattered not that the issue sounded far-fetched.
The government has denied any such allegation, inviting the nation to keep an eye on the wharves to ensure that they see no such importation of vehicles. Certainly, the opposition would know that such an allegation could easily unravel. For certain, the opposition has no regard for its credibility. It is putting a lot on the line merely to make the government look bad, in the process, making itself a source of humour.
Or perhaps the opposition wants to create distractions. It is strange that the distractions are coming even as former Ministers are appearing in the courts to answer charges of improper actions and behaviour.

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The politics of the opposition

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