Dear Editor,
As 2011 nears and election-related activities pick up steam, various scenarios are engaging the attention of analysts interested in Guyana’s future. Among these scenarios are the following:
1) the PNC will contest alone with a presidential candidate other than Mr Corbin;
2) the AFC will contest with Mr Ramjattan as its presidential candidate;
3) there will be a combined opposition with perhaps someone like highly respected former Major General Joseph Singh as its top candidate;
4) the PPP will contest with either Ralph Ramkarran, Moses Nagamootoo, Navin Chandarpal, Donald Ramotar, Clement Rohee or some other person selected by the party’s central committee;
5) the PPP will contest with a slate headed by someone elected through a more inclusive process;
6) President Jagdeo will seek a third term, a move that will require a constitutional amendment.
It is also widely accepted that the PPP still has the best chance of winning a plurality, if not a majority, of seats in the upcoming elections.
The main reason for such prognostication is ethnic voting patterns and, more importantly, the legacy of Cheddi Jagan. Cheddi Jagan was not only a man of impeccable character but he was also the embodiment of a political programme that sought to serve the needs of society’s most vulnerable – the poor and oppressed.
It is abundantly clear that the current regime has drifted far away from Jagan’s vision for Guyana, a vision that continues to have mass appeal in the highly stratified Guyanese society. One could therefore make a strong argument that the grouping that best articulates Jagan’s vision will win the 2011 elections. This may or may not be the PPP. Clearly, therefore, the next election will be won not by a person but by a programme. A key ingredient of that programme will have to be initiatives to fight corruption.
The corruption cancer in Guyana has metastasized under the watch of the current regime, a process that has diverted resources from the poor to a few parasitic opportunists. There is now both circumstantial and direct evidence of corruption within the government – one glaring recent example being the sale of real estate at prices that defy market logic.
The current misguided approach of the PPP may very well lead to its defeat – the status quo is certainly not an option for 2011. The sixth scenario outlined above should therefore be a non-starter and if pursued will only lead to disaster.
Importantly, while some have focused on a few PNC MPs supporting a constitutional amendment to facilitate this option, the focus should instead be on the potential of such a move leading to the disintegration of Jagan’s party.
All in all, it should be clear that it is a reinvented PPP that has the best chance of winning in 2011.
This reinvented organization would be one headed by a credible corruption fighter who will lead a lean and clean government. The PPP does not have to engage in strenuous intellectual efforts to reinvent itself – it simply has to go back to where Cheddi Jagan left it. Sadly, Jagan died before realizing his dream for Guyana, but that does not mean that his dream must also die. If Jagan’s political heirs do not keep it alive then others will.
Yours faithfully,
Jang Singh
