Dear Editor,
If the PNCR was not the main parliamentary opposition party in Guyana, I would openly encourage Guyanese to completely ignore its internal shenanigans featuring Messrs Robert Corbin, Vincent Alexander and James McAllister. And now that Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green has offered to mediate what seems to be a mixture of personalities and issues in the PNCR, I can only imagine how this can quickly evolve into a political circus. I find it difficult to envisage Mr Green being allowed to come out looking like the saviour in this political brouhaha.
But at a time when the Bharrat Jagdeo-led PPP/C regime needs some stout resistance against experimenting with authoritarianism and some growing pressure for failing to come up with a comprehensive economic plan beyond the present routine activities, the PNCR has to either get its act together and perform as normal opposition parties do or share the blame with the government for the current downward spiral of our state of affairs.
“In the nine years since President Jagdeo took over the presidency, Guyana continues to perform below its potential, even though PPP supporters love to talk up the various projects undertaken or still on the drawing board. Some of them even go so far as to constantly compare the government’s current performance to that of the PNCR when it formed the government for 28 years.”
The PNC, on the other hand, has morphed from a vibrant political machine of the seventies and eighties into the docile and ineffective PPP/C of the seventies and eighties after failing with the immediate post-92 street demonstrations as leverage to get the PPP/C to concede power-sharing. In fact, the PNC has devolved to a disturbing level where it seems prepared to sit and wait on the PPP/C to offer shared governance, whereas the PPP is taking full advantage of the PNCR’s lacklustre posture to treat the government (all three branches) as party property and the citizens as dispensable subjects.
It is this failure by the PNCR to behave like the responsible major parliamentary opposition it is supposed to be that has many of its supporters wondering if it is not time for a leadership change! Perhaps also sensing this among party members, as well as among outsiders, Team Alexander decided to mount a campaign aimed at displacing party leader, Mr Robert Corbin.
Almost every observer thought that since the PNCR was the party that gave the green light for the return of free and fair elections in 1992 that the party would be amenable to the concept being allowed to work among its own members. Had Team Corbin not blocked Team Alexander’s democratic rights, the PNCR today may well have been stronger with fresh minds bringing fresh ideas as the party bid adieu to personality politics.
Instead of adding new blood with new ideas, the PNCR now appears like a house divided against itself with the leader of the house being unable to keep his members or even try to add new members. What’s worse is that just as the PPP/C was unable to harness the anger and frustration of Guyanese when the Burnham policies were at their worst for Guyanese, the PNCR is now unable to harness the anger and frustration of Guyanese even as we watch glimpses of Burnhamism in the Jagdeo presidency.
It surprises no one that many PPP/C supporters and voters who don’t want to see the PNCR back in power, are angry and frustrated at the party that they keep voting for, and even though they don’t necessarily want a change of government, they would like to see the government change its strategy governing the country. Can a reformed PNCR, that openly abandons its traditional embrace of African Guyanese as its support base and seeks out Guyanese of all races on the basis of ideas, take advantage of the collective anger and frustration now being vented by Guyanese of the two major races against the government?
There is way too much at stake here nationally for the PNCR to have the second highest number of parliamentary representatives drawing down salaries and allowances at taxpayers’ expense and not provide a formidable political competition against the government’s abuses and incompetence. It is not that I am diminishing or excusing the role of the AFC as the smaller parliamentary opposition, but the political culture recognizes the PNCR as the PPP/C’s equal and that is why all eyes are on the PNCR to deliver the goods.
Hopefully the AFC will continue to remain clean and clear of the type of politics that have defined the PPP/C and PNCR and gain traction leading up to 2011, but if the behaviour of both the PPP/C and PNCR (such as uniting to isolate the AFC) continue into 2011, it may be a tad too late for the AFC to make a marked difference. That is why the PNCR has to get its act together, even if this means cleaning house and getting a new leader with a new vision to inspire new additions to its membership roster.
If the PNCR does not change its strategy or leadership, Guyanese have the right to assume there is a shared governance plan in the pipeline, which could make a Jagdeo-led PPP/C and Corbin-led PNCR government the first elected dictatorship in the Caribbean, because if Guyanese vote race in 2011, who will vote for the party that will be known as the opposition party?
Yours faithfully,
Emile Mervin
Emile I do agree with you on the many issues discussed in your writing. Guyanese have not come to realize as yet that the PPPC and PNCR are one of the same, things have not change from the Burnham-Cheddi behind the scene collaboration. They operated as if Guyana belong to them only and their discourse was of such esoteric nature that they only could understand the complexity of the problems.
Democracy that is not participatory is inconsequential and negates the exercise of casting ballot at the day of poling.
We can only take comfort of the intended approach of President-elect Obama nominee (HHS) Sen Daschle proposed approach to the intractable health care crises in the US; and wonder when will we in this region ever learn and stop being seen as role model of the level of hamsters (going in circle all the time).
come election time, the voters voice will be heard, but for sure it would not be the PNC, those three letters would send shivered down the spine of all guyanese,what the pnc has never achieve the ppp did, what the PPP needs to do is to focus on the crime wave, it must go down, all over the world is crime, but in guyana the opposition is quickly to blame the government.
Speak for yourself. All Guyanese did not vote for the PPP. You guys really come up with some cockeye reasonings sometimes.
The PPP is an ethnic party, and governs along those lines. Many of its members, certainly not all, or maybe not even the majority, relish the idea of their ethnicity being in charge because it vicariously plays into their beliefs and customs that they are superior to the other group. That is why they completely ignore the faults and wrongs of the PPP which they vehemently criticised when it occured under the PNC.
About the most common characteristic shared by these sycophants is the hypocrisy that inundates their opinions and views. They thought the PNC was wrong to control the public media when there was only a newspaper and radio station, but deceitfully champion the PPP controlling those assets in addition to televisions stations.
Let’s face it, ethnicity is the fuel that drives the opinions of people like LAMBADA. Folks need to recognize these operants since they have been natural to our politics as mango season is natural to Guyana.
I wonder who should you blame for the crime wave, In India where the last terrorist IN THEIR attack COMMITTED ATROCITIES in Mumbai the law enforcement authority in spite of criticism for lax security spared the life of one of the attackers in order to get information. Since the crime wave started in Guyana, the PPPC government have no one alive to tell the sordid tales of their undercover activities. ALL HAVE BEEN KILLED, DEAD MAN TELL NO TALE.
Who therefore is to be blamed for the crime wave LAMBADA? LIKE THE GOVERNMENT YOU NEED TO GET YOUR ACTS TOGETHER. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSE TO BLAME THE PNCR, UNDER WHAT GROUNDS HAVE THEY FALTER IS IT IN THEIR TACIT OR LAISSEZ FAIRE APPROACH.
Criticism is imperative since the extra judicial killings have not solved anything, rather everything seems chaotic. What have gone wrong with the proven detective and investigative work the police was famous for in time past. The tried and proven have been cast away for guns and bullets. Assuredly they deserved criticism, however this is no excuse for a WEAK OPPOSITIONS, IT ONLY BREEDS WEAK GOVERNMENTS.
Emile seems to be articulate in pointificating. He should meet with the top brass of the PNC and AFC then consult with their lay members such that he can get on either slate for the next general elections in Guyana.
I hold my breath in anticipation.
Elections are about choices.Sometimes you choose the best of the best and other times you must choose the least troubling of the evils.Most governments will only perform if they fear the alternative is seen as a better option to the masses.
Guyana has a weak opposition and that includes the PNC.The opposition is more of a function of guyana’s failures than is the government.A weak opposition produces a government that is little less weak.Conversely, a strong opposition leads to a strong government.This holds true particularly in Guyana.
Go ahead Mr.Mervin,blame the PNC et al.You are perfectly right on this.
One point thought,Why are we still talking about Corbin,Alexander and others?……..Can I assume that the 1970’s/80’s is still relevant as we approach the second decade of a new century??…Has the leadership well run dry?…………answering those question might help you cope with your frustrations
The PNC is paid by the tax payer to be in opposition,but instead of opposing as an opposition, it was more concerned in pursuing destructive divisive measures aimed to perpetually divide Guyanese.
justice 4 all, just listen to yourself,, The PPP. IS RACIST, AND ONLY THINK RACIST ETC. THAT MAY EVEN BE TRUE…but by implication, you seem to be stating That YOU, and the PNC are not racist,?does that sound O.K TO YOU ? SOUNDS LIKE BULL”TO ME”….. I hold no Brief for the PPP, in fact, i was a victim of PPP, vindictiveness, but.. but Iwon’t let personal missfortune color my Judgement, and and your comparisons rePPP / PNC .IN TERMS OF ..FREEDOM.. of guyanese today and econonic sustainability…are ludicrous.. The presnt Admin. at worst is way ahead of your beloved party of destuctionists… as for racism, .. how could you claim the Indians are racists ? .. haventt you done your homework?… Don,t you Know that mr. Burnhams, PNC. CAPTURED Majority votes, in all elections since independenc, in the 1970, s he even got 66%…. that means that at least 50% of Indians voted for him…. Right?… or do you have another explanation?… If you do I would like to hear it , if you don’t then ’shut’ up.. .