The political changes have been many

Jan 05, 2020 Features / Columnists, My Column

There are always changes in the political landscape. There was a time when only property owners could vote. But even before that, women had no say in the political matters of the country.
In 1953, Guyana held its first election under universal adult suffrage that afforded every citizen the right to vote. And people voted as if their lives depended on it. They elected their rulers for the first time and they were ecstatic about it. However, their joy was short-lived. Their elected parliamentarians were removed from office.
The next change in the political landscape came in 1964. For the first time the system of Proportional Representation was introduced. It endures to this day, one of the few countries in the world in which it operates.
Guyana saw its first coalition government. That was another innovation in the local political landscape. However the innovations were not over.
In 1992, Dr Cheddi Jagan, outside the pale, introduced the concept of a Prime Ministerial candidate. There is nothing that states that a political party must enter the elections with both a Presidential and a Prime Ministerial candidate, but this innovation has firmly taken hold.
Ever since, people keep asking about a Prime Ministerial candidate. Even the nascent political parties, from their inception, talk about a running mate. In fact, the wider society expects every contesting party to name a Prime Ministerial candidate.
The Coalition Government actually made this an issue, when at the conference of the Alliance For Change, the party leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, announced that he was going to be the prime ministerial candidate, replacing the incumbent, Moses Nagamootoo.
Then came the Herdmanston Accord in which the Alliance For Change stated that it was sticking to the initial accord that guaranteed the party the prime ministerial spot.
This adoption of the American system that sees the president anointing his Vice President before the election seems to be firmly rooted in Guyana. And it is a big thing.
The opposition People’s Progressive Party made it a big thing. At a press conference, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo announced that he would name his prime ministerial candidate “shortly.’ There were three in the running.
And clear to everyone is the fact that the major parties are cognizant of the racial composition of the country. The PPP, perceived as an Indo-Guyanese party, has always gone for an Afro-Guyanese Prime Ministerial candidate.
By accident, one such candidate was elevated to the presidency, twice, but was not allowed to serve out the term.
The Coalition has so far only gone for an Indo-Guyanese as a prime ministerial candidate.
But it was Brigadier Mark Phillips who was in the spotlight long before the PPP opted to name him. His name came up although there were other runners, one of them being Juan Edghill. The news came that Phillips had been selected and a day later, Edghill announced that he was withdrawing from the race.
Phillips’s appointment is an interesting turnaround by Jagdeo. He was not happy that Rear Admiral Gary Best had gone to the Coalition. He did not think that Best, just out of the army, had done the appropriate thing. But then, there is Brigadier Phillips. The same argument should have stood. Instead, it has gone through the window.
Now the horses are off. Nomination Day is a week away. There was the announcement that there would be seventeen parties entering the contest. I doubt that many of them would present themselves because of the requirements.
Each must signal its ability to contest in four administrative regions; each list must be accompanied by a large number of signatures. I am not sure that these small parties have been able to woo a large number of people, coming as they did just before the elections.
The launch of the respective campaigns is always a colourful affair. The Coalition launched its campaign on Friday; the opposition would do so tonight. Friday night saw a sea of green; tonight would feature a sea of red.
I do not expect the elections to feature much on issues, except for the charges of corruption and squandermania. Crime is also going to be a talking point.
Some claim that there is unprecedented crime at this time, although that is not supported by fact. There are many more arrests and even apprehensions during a criminal activity.
On Friday night, there was the report that at least four criminals attempted a robbery. One of them was described as an undercover policeman, something I doubt very much, since the police not only released his photograph, but also showed him in handcuffs.
Sadly, Guyana is an ethnically divisive country that masks the division away from the periods between elections. People go about their business, merging seamlessly into the fabric of the nation and giving support to the motto of one people with one nation. I can only assume that the motto is but aside until the elections are over.
There is also the issue of campaign funding. The major parties have deep pockets; the smaller parties cannot make the same statement.
One issue that has me very confused is the size of the voters’ list. There are more than 600,000 potential voters on that list. If it is accurate, then the population of this country is more than a million. The last census that counted every person in the country, including the Brazilian miners and the Venezuelans who are not entitled to vote, placed the population at some 749,000.
I did ask about the large voters’ list and I was told that no names could be extracted because of the ruling by the Chief Justice. If that list is used for the elections, then I am certain that the percentage in terms of voter turnout would be shockingly low.