The brutality of politics

Jun 06, 2016 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

There have been two instances in recent times in Guyana’s politics that have demonstrated how cruel and unkind an adversarial system of politics can become. The two instances involved actions in the National Assembly.
During the previous parliament, the opposition held a one seat majority. During one of the sittings, a member of the opposition took ill and had to be hospitalized. He was quickly replaced not long after just so as to ensure that the then opposition retained their one seat majority.
It seemed more than a tad unfair that this had to be done even though he regained his health. An adversarial system of government had caused this situation and it should never have been.
The second incident occurred recently and was sadder. None of the women’s organizations which are so militant have commented on this second incident which saw a female member of parliament having to be wheeled into parliament from her hospital bed.
This is what a one-seat majority can cause to happen. A seriously sick person who should be in hospital has to be brought in a wheelchair to the National Assembly just to secure the one seat majority of the government.
Cricket was once considered a gentleman’s game. That tag may be open to question given what has happened in recent times in the game.
Politics has never been known as a gentleman’s game. In Guyana, politics can be very brutal and very sad.
Guyana inherited an adversarial system of politics. There is a government and there is an opposition. The ruling party or parties want to hold power and the opposition wants to get into power.
This more or less shapes their roles. The opposition has to criticize the government and hold themselves up as a better alternative; the government has to demonstrate that the opposition is not better suited to the task of governing than the ruling party or parties.
Once you understand the adversarial nature of Guyana’s political system and the roles that this system ascribes to the ruling parties and the opposition, you will become less emotional about the politics of Guyana.
You will come to understand why the government at times defends of deflects the indefensible and why the opposition has to constantly criticize the government. These are their roles in an adversarial political system.
Like it or not, this particular model of politics is seen in the free world as best suited to ensuring good government.
Unless there is some group to oppose and criticize, the government would be inclined towards absolute and arbitrary rule and this will lead to dictatorship. The opposition therefore serves a useful purpose in criticizing the government.
An adversarial system of politics is necessary to guard against absolute power and authoritarian rule. It is the basis, ironic as it may seem, of democratic rule. The government proposes; the opposition opposes.
But surely such a system should not be so rigid as to cause a sick man to have to demit his appointment as a parliamentarian in order to preserve a one-seat majority.
And surely there has to be some way in which the two adversarial sides can show greater humanism and prevent a very sick person from having to be wheeled from a hospital in order to attend a sitting of parliament just to preserve the government’s one seat majority.
There has to be a better way to deal with these matters. There has to be gentleman’s or gentlewoman’s agreement that would allow for accommodation for such things. When it comes to illness, the opposition should indicate that they will not take advantage of the illness on the other side. The government should do the same.
Surely we can be more humane and civil. Can we not?

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