AVOIDING A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

Jan 14, 2019 Editorial

being fully aware of it, we may have a constitutional crisis on our hands with the passage of the no-confidence motion, which stunned the nation. But the statement, “Everything rises and falls on leadership”, which is believed by some to be true but by others is false, the meeting between the Opposition and the government may have averted the crisis, at least for the time being. Whichever camp or party one may be in, it cannot be denied that the country is in a serious crisis and that leadership at this moment is very important to steer it in the right direction.
The passage of the no confidence motion in Parliament almost three weeks ago and the fuzzy mathematics that have arisen from it have descended the country to its lowest level in recent times. It is very serious, but it seems that those in authority have not fully grasped the depth of it or they are oblivious of the harm their befuddled behaviour is causing the nation. It appears that they are not convinced of the importance and relevance of the constitution because they have ignored its guidance on parliamentary procedures, especially on what constitutes a majority in the 65-seat member Parliament.
Although the constitution does not specifically define what a majority is or is not, it is common knowledge that the party which obtains the highest number of votes in Parliament has always been considered the winner. This has been the traditionally established norm in Guyana and other democratic countries for centuries. The odd number of seats in Guyana’s Parliament and in several other countries was created specifically to prevent a tie vote in the House. Therefore, the sixty-five votes cast in the no-confidence motion in Parliament on Friday December 21, 2018; the party with 33 votes is considered the winner over the party that garnered 32. Everyone in the Coalition Government knows that 33 is a greater number than 32, which is consistent with the constitution and precedence of Guyana and the Speaker’s ruling that the motion has been carried. So for the government to even ask Speaker to change his decision is shameful, regrettable and a disgrace to the administration, which prides itself on integrity and honesty.
It is pellucid that the PPP has won and the government has lost the no-confidence vote, but the idea that 34 votes are needed is highly incorrect and it is being used as a stalling tactic by the Coalition Government not wanting to give up power. The honourable thing government must do is to proceed consistent with the constitution. The government has refused because it does not want to give up power. There is something about power that caused leaders in Guyana and other underdeveloped countries to latch on to perhaps for life if allowed. The government’s behaviour to the no-confidence motion is infantile, arrogant and beyond comprehension. Given the way the leaders of the Coalition are behaving over the legitimate passage of the no-confidence motion, there is no way and under no circumstance that they will demit office peacefully if they lost the next general elections.
Since the no-confidence vote in December, both the Government and the Opposition have drawn battle lines, with the latter calling for elections to be announced and for the government to resign, and the former challenging the results in court and refusing to resign. However, as a way of easing tension between the two main races, both parties have agreed not to make reckless and false comments against one another. From all indications, it was a good first meeting that could help to stave off a constitutional crisis, create unity and move the country forward.
With oil revenue on the horizon, Guyana needs a new political culture in the form of a united government with unswerving, transformational and inspiring leaders with a people centric-mindset who are focused on building the country and implanting values of decency, integrity and good governance to repel any threats from Venezuela.

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