Latest update November 25th, 2024 1:00 AM
Latest News
- ExxonMobil commences design for 7th project as Gov’t remains ‘iffy’ over approval
- Gov’t extends deadline for proposals on second phase of Gas-to-Energy project
- Hezbollah rockets land near Tel Aviv after big Israeli strike on Beirut
- 121 drivers nabbed speeding, 248 with unauthorised tinted glass
- Cop stabbed by Venezuelan national
No more winner-take-all, Guyanese must feel integrally involved in the governance process
DEAR EDITOR,
Guyana, perhaps more than any other country in the Anglophone Caribbean, has a sordid history of undemocratic elections. Part of the problem has to do with our ethnic makeup over which we have no control.
We are, for all practical purposes, historically, a transplanted society which came about primarily from the need to provide cheap labour for the plantocracy. With the exception of the Amerindians, all the other major ethnic groups came to the shores of Guyana to work as labourers in the sugar plantation.
The situation is not dissimilar to some other countries in the Caribbean, except for the fact that Guyana, and to a lesser extent Trinidad and Suriname, have significant segments of both Indians and Africans, which after the attainment of independence status gave rise to a competition for political power mainly along ethnic lines.
This ethnic tension is particularly pronounced during election periods, as was the case during the early 1960’s in the former colony of British Guiana. Such was the intensity of the political rivalry during that period that former British Secretary of State Mr. Duncan Sandys described race as the ‘curse’ of Guyana.
Historians blamed the British Government for having engineered the so-called ‘curse’ which has plagued this nation during the immediate pre-independence period and which regrettably continues to persist until this day, with varying degrees of intensity.
In an attempt to mitigate the effects of ethnic politics following the split of the PPP in 1955, the British Government ostensibly introduced proportional representation to allow for post-elections alliances which failed to bring about political stability and social cohesion.
The PNC-UF coalition government folded up before its tenure came to an end in 1968. Subsequently, the PNC ensured that it remained in the seat of government through fraudulent means until October 5, 1992 when the United States intervened through the Carter Centre to force the Desmond Hoyte administration to agree on electoral reforms which ultimately resulted in free and fair elections
The point I am seeking to make is that given the entrenched nature of ethnic politics in Guyana and the ensuing lack of trust, some measure of outside assistance is unavoidable in order to get the parties together to agree on fundamental electoral issues which otherwise might be problematic.
It is in this context that the intervention of CARICOM, the Carter Centre, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the ABCE countries in our electoral politics has to be seen. So far, the Carter Centre has already met with the Guyana Elections Commission and a meeting is already scheduled with the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Regardless how the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) rules on the validity of the No-confidence vote, election preparations have already been placed on the front burner. The Guyana Elections Commission cannot hide under the fig-leaf of an impending ruling from the CCJ, but should put itself in a position of readiness to hold credible elections whenever called. In this regard, I support the position of the Carter Centre that it is possible to sanitize the existing List of Electors without having to spend billions of dollars on fresh house to house registration.
The international community has a role to play in ensuring that the will of the people prevails in national elections. With the country on the verge of economic take-off thanks to oil and gas, the political stakes are much higher. This makes it all the more imperative to ensure that there is a departure from a ‘winner takes it all’ governance model to one in which all Guyanese, regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation, feel integrally involved in the governance process.
Hydar Ally
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The business class also funds undemocratic parties
…Peeping Tom Kaieteur News- There’s a peculiar phenomenon in Guyana, a sort of cyclical ritual, where members of... more
Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – There is an alarming surge in gun-related violence, particularly among younger... more
Weekend Cartoon
