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“Skeptical voters” tired of political rhetoric -Only comprehensive plans, policies will earn their votes – Dr. David Hinds
With 2020 being deemed “the year for the mother of all elections,” Guyana’s politicians will be hard-pressed to bring more than their political rhetoric to the table, says Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds.
WPA Executive Member, Dr. David Hinds
Dr. Hinds stressed that now more than ever, political parties at the coming elections will be forced to convince a small but important segment of the population that they are worthy of their vote.
The political activist said, “In my interaction, I have encountered a group of mainly young people across the social class and gender, and to a lesser extent, ethnicity, who are so alienated from the political parties that they are threatening not to vote at the next elections. Their main complaint is that the political parties, when in office, have not implemented large overarching policies that have had the effect of improving their material circumstances”.
Dr. Hinds continued, “Though some of them acknowledged some general improvements, they believe that these have not affected them directly. In light of the above, I think both the PPP and the Coalition have to work harder than usual for those extra votes they would need in order to secure a majority.”
He added, “I think they have to do more retail politics, whereby they meet people in small groups and reason with them, rather than just talk at them. The big question for both political forces is this: Convince us why we should give our vote to you in light of your failure to concentrate on the transformation of the political economy.”
Dr. Hinds said it follows, therefore, that appeal to the ethnic fears of the voters will not automatically work among this group of voters. His sense is that the parties would have to tell them their vision for the coming oil and gas economy, and how the various sections of the population fit into that vision.
The WPA Executive Member said that for the first time in Guyana, policy would play an important role in the elections and the political parties run the risk of losing important votes if they ignore that reality. Dr. Hinds also said that the “skeptical voters” have heard rhetoric about a few things such as the improvement of the social sectors and criticisms of the offshore oil contract, but they still await a comprehensive plan for the way forward.
Dr. Hinds reminded that it was the WPA which introduced the option of cash transfers to poor households, but the major political parties have yet to address it in a frontal manner. He said that this is just an example of one of the many things the skeptical voters would be looking for.
Be that as it may, the University Associate Professor said that Guyana is still at the stage of preference for individual policy interventions, rather than a comprehensive approach. However, the side that advances a more comprehensive plan – that speaks to the varied needs of the people – would convince more of the skeptical voters, Dr. Hinds concluded.
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