A possible long term fix for our political impasse

Mar 06, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

It is with great consternation that I have been monitoring the current political impasse in Guyana, post the December passage of the controversial No Confidence Motion (NCM). I daresay that imbibing of the toxic spirits so obviously evident in the ongoing discourse is most definitely not for the faint of heart or the calmness of the soul.
Be it well known that fools rush in where wise men fear to tread, therefore only the extremely foolhardy or bravest of men would dare to think that adding another perspective appealing to reason and rationality can succeed where wiser counsel and more brilliant minds have failed.
With the greatest of trepidation punctuated with more than a few deep sighs, I am hereby offering an alternative view of a possible long term solution to our post-colonial ethnic dilemma which has been ruthlessly exploited by the two major political factions. It is patently obvious that the political bickering and in-fighting has largely contributed to not only our evident underdevelopment, but the anywhere-but-Guyana mindset which has given us the infamous notoriety of having quite possibly the greatest “Brain Drain” in the world.
Consuming the Editorials, Letters, Blogs and comments in the local media and dare I say even in the larger Guyanese Diaspora, it is apparent to me that the views can be broken down into three groupings.
First there are the “Apologists” who are the known political partisans whose every economic and political future is directly tied to maintaining the status quo and the rest of Guyana be damned. These opportunists from both sides of the ethnic divide see no evil or hear no evil of their cohorts while gleefully pointing out the mistakes, incompetency and failures of the other side.
These “Apologists” are the most inflexible and have absolutely no interest in bridging the divide. It would therefore be foolhardy to expect any advocacy on their part of compromising with the other to find consensus, with the greater national good being of utmost importance.
Next, there are the “Rationalists” whose innate decency leads to the thought process of respect for the rule of law being paramount in any democracy, with respect for the Constitution and the judicial system taking precedence over any narrow political interests.
While this school of thought might be morally laudable, it most definitely does absolutely nothing to provide long term solutions to our seemingly flawed democracy. Indeed, even if the Constitution is respected and elections are called within the mandated time frame, the winner-takes-all situation that exists would only be delaying the inevitable future conflict, especially with the potential of greater spoils to fight over in the not too distant future.
Lastly, there are the “Solutionists” who rather than seeing the NCM as a hindrance to the present Administration or an opportunity for the Opposition, consider this a blessing in disguise. May I inject here that I am firmly in this camp.
“Solutionists” look at our current flawed Constitution as being the biggest hindrance to our ongoing battle for political dominance, and hence the economic largesse of the state to be used to maintain power ad infinitum.
Since the introduction of the tainted 1980 Constitution, every Opposition faction has ridiculed its obvious flaws and maintained the urgent need for it to be reformed to better reflect our peculiar legacy of ethnic polarization. However, once the said entities accede, reform is relegated to the back burners faster than you can shout let the celebrations begin.
The most honest and sincere inputs with regards to the current impasse is Dr. David Hinds, and even his learned dissertations have been handily rejected by the absolutists for refusing to toe the party line, and questioning seeming moral and political failings.
Now, it would be useless for me to take up valuable column inches by rehashing the same old reminders of the importance of “Constitutional Reform” and “Shared Governance” when the major players seem hell-bent on mutual destruction.
I would start my advocacy by using an analogy as old as life itself: That is, the unending feuding of couples who easily forget that they had sworn to love each other, till death do us part.
Now once the situation has progressed to the point of irreconcilable differences, the parties involved continually engage in finger-pointing, recriminations and accusations born of absolute contempt. Under such circumstances, the only possibility of finding a lasting solution to the hostilities is the intervention of a non-partisan mediator.
President Jimmy Carter where art thou? I am therefore insinuating that tripartite discussions be priority number one, with possible mediators coming from the ABC countries to begin the long overdue commencement of a necessary dialogue for the seemingly intractable, proceeding to at least a temporary détente.
Priority number two is for the Ruling Coalition to resign forthwith and a temporary Government of National Unity to be drawn from both of the major players to serve as an interim Government for a period to be agreed upon or duration to be determined.
Once this temporary Administration has become functional, taking into consideration that we are heading into uncharted territory, the required “Constitutional Reform” should begin in haste with the required inputs of all concerned parties.
Such reform should entail long term solutions to the pervading ethnic dilemma by ensuring truly representative, shared Governance, with the first pass the post system being condemned to the dustbin of history. Having progressed thus far, then and only then should fresh elections come into consideration.
This of course is all wishful thinking on my part, if the vested interests continue their self-righteous indignation and condemnation of their opponents with nary a thought of putting country before self, and an unquenchable thirst for power.
Statesmen prepared to bury their oversized egos for the betterment of the country’s journey to realizing its innate potential, are rarer than sightings of the Loch Ness monster.
It is oft times said that we can choose our friends but you don’t have the same prerogative in choosing your family. In the wise words of Martin Luther King, “We might have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now”.
The paddles are in the hands of our political leadership on both sides, to either row the boat to safety or like the decadent Roman Emperor Nero: “Fiddle while Rome burned”.
While the choice might indeed seem obvious, men convinced against their will are of the same opinion still. Refusal to compromise and the lack of willingness to give a little to get a lot, have kept our Dear Land of Guyana stagnant and underdeveloped for too long, and while life has given us lemons, the decision is ours to make about whether to make refreshing lemonade or bitter vinegar.
History and time will not reflect kindly on our political leadership if their narrow-mindedness and lack of magnanimity condemns our beautiful country to being an eternally backward ‘could-have-been’. But alas, stubbornness and lack of vision ensure that we never will be.
Be aware, be well aware that we are all going to winners here, or losers again and again. We shall either prosper together or we will all be consumed by our intransigence.

Kenneth Frank

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