“I left the keys by the gate”

Jun 21, 2020 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

Yesterday one of the most vociferous supporters of the APNU+AFC privately conceded “If the people win; they win.” It is a pity this admission was so late in coming; so much tension and problems could have been avoided if this was the narrative since March 3rd.
Guyana has had endured unnecessary pain and torment simply because of the historic failure of our politicians to abide by two elections’ conventions. The first convention involves defeated leaders conceding even before a formal declaration is made. The second involves leaders holding themselves accountable for their parties’ defeat.
A great many of the tragedies which the country endured from 1997 onwards could have been avoided if our political leaders accepted their electoral drubbing. Every election will have a winner and a loser and the loser of an election should concede.
In November 2016, Donald Trump won the American election. On the very night of the election, his opposite number, Hilary Clinton, called him to offer her congratulation. She publicly conceded defeat the next day. She told her supporters “This is painful and it will be for a long time,” she said, “but I want you to remember this, our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love.”
Last December, Jeremy Corbyn the United Kingdom’s Labour Party realized that he had lost the elections to Boris Johnson. He immediately conceded defeat and, later, he resigned as leader of his party.
Frendual Stuart lost an election to Mia Mottley in May 2018. He did not wait on the official declaration; he immediately conceded and accepted full responsibility for his party’s loss. He said, “As far as the Democratic Labour Party is concerned, I think we have to, when the dust has settled, reflect on what has happened, try to determine why it has happened and take what corrective steps we deem necessary, to ensure we start that process of necessary rebuilding, and I am confident we have the human resources in this party to do it.”
It is this ‘reflection’ which losing political leaders wish to avoid because it means that they will have to accept political responsibility for the loss. Stuart not only accepted responsibility; he resigned and ultimately retired from politics.
Political leaders must demonstrate the courage and integrity to hold themselves accountable to their supporters. Instead, some leaders opt for cheating and deceiving their supporters. Instead of conceding publicly, even before a declaration, they choose to leave the keys by the gate. They wish to continue leading and to represent their parties in parliament and so they deflect their failings onto others by claiming that they were cheated not defeated.
By peddling the narrative that the elections were not credible – even though they themselves had implied that they were – some within the leadership of both the PNCR and the AFC are ensuring self-preservation. These persons know that by fooling their supporters, they will avoid being asked to step down from the positions of leadership.
The PNCR and the AFC have lost three consecutive elections to the PPPC – two local government elections and now the general and regional elections. They have lost all three by large margins in absolute terms.
In normal democracies, the losing leaders would have accepted full responsibility and stepped down from the leadership of their parties. It would be up to their supporters to decide whether to accept their resignations.
Guyana honours these conventions in the breach. Desmond Hoyte lost the 1992, 1997 and 2001 elections and were he around may have attempted to run in 2006 as his party’s presidential candidate. He did not step down after his defeats.
The time for a change in leadership in both the AFC and PNCR is now. These parties have to look towards the future. They have to plan the way forward. As former Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin has advised the Coalition to “Level with your supporters and start directing your energies towards becoming a credible opposition party in time for the 2025 [elections].”
Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that. The PNCR and the AFC have to hold themselves accountable for three elections losses. The same old discredited leadership which sent their supporters in the wrong direction after March 2nd elections, cannot be expected to successfully lead their parties to becoming a credible opposition.
Change is needed. However, once the present cabal gets into parliament, there will be no change in leadership. Self-preservation is the name of the game. This was always the end-game in mind when the supporters of the Coalition were misled into believing that their APNU+AFC had won the elections.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

---

---