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The utterance of the Opposition Leader does not promote national reconciliation.
Dear Editor,
One of the hallmarks of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracies which Guyana is a participant of is a functioning opposition. The Leader of the Opposition leads the largest amount of non-government voters and a shadow cabinet of Ministers is formed for accountability of the office holders in the government.
However, in Guyana over the previous decades, the oppositions have not utilized all the tools of the Westminster system to keep the government in power accountable in all sectors of national interest. Many of the shadow Ministers do not conduct ample research into their government’s counterpart’s portfolio and ensue questions within the national assembly. This lethargy among the current opposition members sitting in parliament lends to untapped freedom for government Ministers.
Furthermore, compounding is the lack of direct dialogue between the Executive President and leader of the opposition. The leader of opposition initial stance was to claim illegitimacy of the government which the President rebuffed claiming he will not initiate talks under the cloud of perceived illegitimacy. Recently, the opposition has been on a campaign against discrimination of its constituents’ claiming inequity in administration of social, economic and political opportunities.
Whilst these claims have merit, the opposition has to craft a path to dialogue with the government in power to negotiate for fairness and equality. The opposition leader’s recent utterance that “I do not shake hands with my oppressors” is callous and not expedient for national dialogue. The President and his opposition counterpart are supposedly professionals who should look beyond pettiness and name calling to work together for the development of our people. The President has to formulate a strategy for outreach to the leader of opposition instead of grandstanding on the obvious fact that he leads all of Guyana and that speaking with a few opposition members is his contentment for national reconciliation. Similarly, the opposition leader needs to shun his divisive tone and come to the table with demands for his constituents.
The proposed areas for mutual cooperation should surround a framework of issues such the emerging Oil and Gas industry, territorial sovereignty which they have found common ground around the border dispute between Guyana & Venezuela and meaningful economic opportunities for all Guyanese such as an annual disbursement (payment transfer) for each household, expanded educational opportunities abroad for specialized trainings, state of the art medical equipment and payments for complex/non-existent health services abroad. If Guyana is to be the “Dubai” of the Caribbean which is the utopic vision of the President, the attitudes and behaviours of the populous he leads must change. It is imperative that is first practised by members of the government for the constituents to follow.
Former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Greene in an interview on Globespan 24/7 last year noted that currently we have 51% (alluding to the government’s support base) of the country is making decisions for 100% of the country but what if ExxonMobil and other foreign multinational companies have to contend with a united force of over 98% inclusive of the current government and main opposition? The importance of the two leaders of their respective parties working for the common goal of “One People, One Nation and One Destiny” which is essentially what “One Guyana” is cannot be underscored for the decisions our leaders make today will reflect and affect the growth of the future generations.
Thank you,
Collin Haynes MPH MBA
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