Guyana‘s electoral system encourages racial voting - Former Pres. Ramotar

Guyana‘s electoral system encourages racial voting – Former Pres. Ramotar

Jul 15, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – In Guyana during a Regional and General elections, under the system of Proportional Representation (PR), citizens throughout the country, cast their ballots, in favour of a list of candidates.

Former President – Donald Ramotar.

Once elections are concluded, the seats of the elected members on each list are allocated in the National Assembly in proportion with the number of votes cast in favour of the lists.

However, this system of voting has created the perfect conditions to keep Guyanese voting for a party based on their ethnic preferences rather than electing leaders because of the national issues canvassed. This view was expressed by former President Donald Ramotar in his address at the inaugural lecture on electoral reform, organised by civil society body- Article 13.

Ramotar made a case for a change in the way which citizens vote. He lobbied heavily for Guyana to revert to the First Past the Post system in all elections. The Former President noted that the First Past the Post system gives citizens an opportunity to examine the issues rather than vote along divisive lines. He explained that the First Past the Post system allows each constituency/division to have a representative elected by the people of the district. If a division is predominately of one race, people choose according to who they think can best serve their interests. Ramotar however acknowledged that any such change would require amendments to the constitution. “In the past, we did some reforms but there is still need for a further evolution, because even though we have had independence for 56 years, we have failed to evolve into what is strictly Guyanese distinctiveness…and this because we still see ourselves firstly by our racial origins and then as Guyanese,” he added.

He explained Guyana’s racial problems are not rooted in economics rather it is purely subjective created at a pre-independence era to stop the unified movement of the citizens fighting for a common cause—freedom. He noted that the success of divisive powers is still evident today. The former President continued: “So there was certain mechanism that was established to keep the people divided. That mechanism lays in the electoral system the system of Proportional Representation because the system of PR was imposed on this country. Guyana is the only country in the commonwealth in which the system was employed… It is believed that [this system] leads to weak governments and the politicizing of people along narrow partisan lines and detrimental to the encouragement of mobilisation on national issues…” “Britain has rejected it and continues to reject it to this day because it leads to fragmentations,” Ramotar added, noting that, the PR system has been rejected in neighbouring Trinidad following independence because it would promote divisions in the society.

He said on the other hand, First Past the Post encourages political parties to contest on national issues. “I believing changing our electoral system back to the first past the post would give us an opportunity to tackle the bugbear that is preventing the development of Guyana.” Ramotar said.

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