Social cohesion was again tossed on the dust heap of political expediency

Nov 02, 2017 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
It’s a known fact that I supported the ANPU/AFC coalition. And I was happy to do so! I, like most Guyanese wanted the change we got. It is also well known that I am now supporting the efforts of the United Republican Party (URP). The change was very deliberate and decisive. I disassociated myself from the Coalition for the same reason I refused to associate with the PPP: there seems to be an ideological unwillingness of the party leaders to work at bringing the country together.
I honestly believed that the presidential candidate, David Granger, had that desire. What solidified my optimism was the fact that he often spoke of the need for Guyana to come together. He also used to speak of not governing from the position of a winner-take-all position. He campaigned on a ‘big-tent’ platform. However, these days, things have certainly changed. Or maybe he did not change, I just did not hear him correctly. Maybe I just fell in love with a figment of my imagination, because the Granger who is now managing the country is certainly not the same person who spoke so glowing about national unity.
Does anyone remember that it was President David Granger who added the new and promising ministry called the Social Cohesion Ministry? Does anyone remember that the first Minister he put to head that Ministry was the most senior PNC member and the Chief Whip of the parliament?
I am noting this because I want you to know that my love and admiration for President Granger was not politically naïve, or some racially conjured sentiment. I supported his ascent to the presidency because I honestly was hopeful that he would do to, and for Guyana, what was disgustingly lacking: I was hoping that he would work at bringing us together.
But then after a string of behaviours that betrayed his inability to heal Guyana, the President went and unilaterally appointed an Elections Chairman.
I have been following this development and I would be honest enough to admit that the former President Bharrat Jagdeo could have been more magnanimous in his selection of the names for the Chairman. Mr. Jagdeo pushed the envelope.
Let me also say that there is no court that will provide a win to the challenger of the move the President made, because the move is riveted in the provisions of the Constitution.
However, I was hoping that the President would have remained the bigger-man. By unilaterally selecting a GECOM chair, Mr. Granger has allowed himself to sink to an untenable political low. He fell into a trap that has now set up this country once again for unaccepted, disputed, election results. Mr. Granger must know that his move will forever incubate the calling into question the results of all upcoming election results, except if the Coalition loses.
I was expecting that the President would have called Mr. Jagdeo to his office and that the two would have sat, and in the interest of national unity, they would have tossed about names until they could agree on some person, who they collectively accepted, was fit and proper.
Some might be quick to suggest that maybe Mr. Jagdeo would not have agreed to such a transparent method. To which I say this. The President would then have been able to come out and say to the Guyanese public that he offered the opposition leader a workable solution to the impasse and he refused. This would have bought the President much political clout.
Imagine what it would have done for the healing of the nation and for social cohesion, if the President had sat in a room with the opposition leader and they were determined to not leave until they had a person they both had confidence in. And then standing side by side, they had come out and addressed this broken nation.
But alas, social cohesion was again tossed on the dust heap of political expedience. Sad!
Pastor W. P. Jeffrey

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Social cohesion was again tossed on the dust heap of political expediency

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