Whither Guyana – Towards a Higher Calling or More of the Same?

Jan 22, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

Lest my written contributions to Guyana’s current political situation be misinterpreted, let me stipulate the following points, which reflect my opinion on the micro-level issues at hand:
• Given the serious implications of the outcome of the NCM, the unprecedented and unusual way in which Mr. Charrandass Persaud came to the position of voting in support of the NCM against the interest of his party, his behaviour immediately afterwards and other seemingly relevant factors that have emerged since, a thorough investigation by the GPF is indeed warranted;
• Given the questions raised by some political commentators and the government about what constitutes a true majority vote in the parliament, it is only appropriate that the judiciary should examine the arguments and interpret the legal intent of the constitution where it may be unclear. It is also extremely important to establish a clarifying precedent for how any future NCMs should be interpreted.
While the high court is considering the validity of the NCM, it should also pronounce on the question of when the current or any future government should resign after a successful NCM. In my opinion, it makes little sense for the government to resign immediately, since there is need for a recognized authority to maintain law and order in the country internally, and to officially represent the country externally. Certainly, this cannot be in the form of an unelected opposition.

• If the NCM is deemed valid by the high court in Guyana and providing there is no finding of corrupt intent on the part of Mr. Charrandass Persaud, Elections should be held in Guyana as soon as it is practical to have free and fair elections, given the constitutional requirement of three months;
• If the high court deems the NCM to be invalid, for any reason, APNU should serve out its constitutional term in office preceding new national elections when it is due, unless there is a subsequent NCM that passes with the required and constitutionally defined majority as interpreted by the judiciary.
• The conduct of the next national elections, whether held in 3-6 months or when constitutionally due in 2020, should be, as far as practicable, beyond reproach (including the use of international observers, transparent electoral processes and adequate safeguards against impropriety);
• If Mr. Charrandass Persaud participated in a corrupt or external plot to unseat the duly elected government of Guyana, he should be prosecuted to adequate extent of the laws of Guyana for crimes ranging from treason to sedition. Also, any other Guyanese or foreign nationals who actively participated in such a plot should be charged and prosecuted with conspiracy to unseat a duly elected government;

Given the deadly seriousness of the current political situation, every Guyanese who feel they have something to contribute to a proper resolution, has the inalienable right to state or voice their opinion without fear of retribution or disdain from any source, period.
Some may choose to relive the sins of the past as perpetuated by both of the major parties. While I have been out of things for a while, I am fairly confident that there is enough valid criticism to go around.
Common sense (which is not always as common as one would expect) would suggest that the most sensible thing to do is to “let bygones be bygones” and let’s try to focus on what is best for Guyana to go forward.
The role of governance is not to take the opportunity of power to exact revenge for past recriminations, it is instead to use the reins and instruments of government and its affiliated institutions to organize and manage the countries human, technical and material resources to benefit “all Guyanese.”
If we can all agree that this course of action makes good sense, then half of the negative contributions, accusations and wasteful political discourse will drop off, allowing some light to shine on those contributions that are forward-looking, objective, hopeful, aspirational, and most of all what is most needed at this time.
This brings me to the heart of my current contribution.
It is not that I don’t care about the outcome of the current processes in place to resolve the above stated issues. I am, however, convinced that the only truly progressive path forward from this political juncture is a unified Guyanese people behind some acceptable form of unified government. This position renders most of the current noise irrelevant, and allows for the investigative, electoral and judicial processes to proceed in a more normal and noncontroversial manner.
Game theory is a sub-branch of Economics used to analyze strategic behaviour by taking into account how participants expect others to behave. It is used to find the optimal outcome from a set of choices by analyzing the costs and benefits to each independent party as they compete with each other.
A zero-sum game is a situation in game theory in which one person’s gain is equivalent to another’s loss, so the net change in wealth or benefit is zero. A zero-sum game may have as few as two players, or millions of participants.
Our current Bicameral system of political organization and government consistently pits the two major parties against each other in a series of zero-sum games where the typical outcome is that one party benefits while the other loses, until it is their turn to win and the other to lose. The problem with this model is that, almost with 100% certainty, the country as a whole loses, despite the temporary gains of either party.
I recently looked at a video of the Opposition Leader’s speech in support of the NCM and was particularly amazed at his assertion that the ruling APNU was the most corrupt government in the history of Guyana. Former members of the PPP/C have accused the former PPP/C government of being the most corrupt government in the history of Guyana.
My amazement is that, in my beloved country, we have now moved into Trumpian territory with fantastic claims and accusations that, now that the stakes are much higher, can only serve to further divide the Guyanese people with potentially devastating implications and results.
From the outcome of Brexit in the UK to the election of Donald Trump in the USA with the interference of Russia in the electoral process of the most powerful country in the world, the gods are demonstrating how futile Westminster-style political systems and governments can become.
Developed countries may have the luxury of the time and resources it takes to unravel these disruptive and potentially catastrophic political events without self-destruction. However, I am very concerned that, given the realistic prospect of increased levels of outside interference in our political process and also, given the fragility of Guyana’s body politic, any such seismic political events in Guyana will erupt into an uncontrollable political volcano.
So here we are at Ground Zero. My question is to all Guyanese who continue to be objective, open-minded and desirous of a new, more unified and prosperous Guyana, “Where is this likely to end?” Do you truly believe that either the PNC/R or its current or future coalitions or the PPP/C and its current or future coalitions can take Guyana to the promised land with about half of the country pulling in the opposite direction?
You have seen the results of tug-of-wars; the winning side almost always falls down.
Governments are not perfect and are not meant to be perfect. However, the people have a right to expect that their duly elected government works as hard as it can to further the interest and benefits of all of the people.
Sometimes governments have to bend-over-backwards to avoid the impression that it is favouring its supporters over its critics. While there will always be the disgruntled and those who no government (not even the second coming) can satisfy, having a unified opposition group of critics does little to help with forward, much less optimal, progress.
Nothing (bad or good) happens to anyone or any country anywhere without a good reason: –
• The margin of political power was so slim and allowed for the possibility of the actions of one person to potentially bring down the current government for a reason;
• Guyana has been blessed with significant oil findings at this particular juncture of its history for a reason;
• Guyana has seen the ugly side of race-based politics and conflict in the past for a reason;
• Venezuela happens to be in political and economic upheaval at this time and is threatening Guyana’s territorial integrity and political stability for a reason;
• The Russians are now targeting Guyana with its new form of exports – political interference – for a reason;
• Guyana is blessed with an abundance of the best form of capital – Intellectual human capital – for a reason.
The world is changing before our very eyes. Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are the technology leaders of the future. Given its traditional and new endowments of rich human and economic resources, Guyana has the potential to become a leader in these spaces, and to enjoy levels of economic growth and development, hitherto unprecedented, in the southern hemisphere. However, I guarantee that there is only one path that will take us there; that is the path of a unified Guyanese people under a unified government that will lend true credence to our motto, “One People, One Nation, with One Destiny.”
So ‘Whither Guyana?” Will we rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity before us? Or will we sink back into the mediocrity of more of the same ‘nonsenseness’ (best Guyanese word ever invented) that has been going on for too long.
The ball is in one person’s court and we all know who that is.

J. Sumner

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