The political realism

Jan 25, 2020 Editorial

A sense of realism has taken hold of the newer, smaller political groups that have qualified to participate in the looming national and regional elections fixed for Monday, March 2. As can be expected, the focus is exclusively on the bigger picture, as in the contest for the helm in the national arena.
Of recent, there was some talk of banding together by a few, but not all, of the groups to be able to present a broader front, a more appealing team, before those who would turn out to vote. It is a wise way of going about matters, evidence of commonsense. This is said, because there is the reluctant recognition that going it alone would not be enough and promises to result in nothing.
This is despite the loud and insistent clamours from many Guyanese about tiredness and disgust with the longstanding PNC and PPP. The settled wisdom is that it is all talk, and nothing else, with all indications pointing to voting patterns largely along the same lines of the same old way.
This is posited also because, most citizens now discern that the big chiefs, the old sharpies, and political head cases are still pharaohs in Guyana’s empire and nothing and no one is going to dethrone them or disturb them.
More accurately, there is some thinking and evidence–not conclusive in the least–that the PPP and PNC, whichever one emerges triumphant, can be disturbed, if only a smattering of voters cast a ballot for the one of new blocs of political people.
To remind fellow country folks, this paper did editorialise during the last quarter of last year, that it would be the pinnacle of pragmatism, and indicative of thorough commonsense, if some of the new entities were to group together so as to be a more formidable force, one to bring pausing by the frontrunners, and one that brings the cautioning of: don’t count us out.
Be prepared to reckon with us and deal with us. The cautioning also extended to the alerting that it would not be the regular old political business practices, but a whole new dispensation, a real and unprecedented one.
This publication also went ahead in the earlier days to postulate that a well-represented and well-intentioned new bloc could manage to be a world of trouble for the stale and settled and suffocating, through the winning of some seats, a few seats only.
The thinking then, and even more so today, is that in a very close national election, that those seats could function as difference-maker, troublemaker, icebreaker, game breaker, and all-around unattached spoiler that answers to no one, and which is beholden to none.
This, of course, would come alive and come to light, in the setting of the National Assembly. Big men would be compelled to lean down from their elevated perch and listen to and adjust to the smaller people, who occupy the lower rungs.
It should be a humbling experience, and a new one, for the old wayward, unheeding schemers, who have had their way and work their wiles for an eternity, it seems at times.
Somebody may have been listening, for late last week, a trio of hopefuls decided on going forward separately, but blending any electoral returns for purposes of aggregating seats. It is a little awkward and runs the risk of some voter confusion and uncertainty.
But that should not amount to much of an issue, since the voters anticipated to respond affirmatively could be from among the more educated and savvier set. The concern from some interested corners might be the combination itself.
Regardless, this grouping of three has signaled that it is managing its expectations and is focused on coming out of the battle with something, however little. For that little something of several seats is envisioned to make a presence, a powerful participant of them.