We need a national government

Dear Editor,

The election on November 28 provides Guyanese with a chance to vote for a whole new way of conducting our political affairs. It offers us the chance to bury winner-take-all politics (aka, damn-the-losers politics) forever.  It offers us the chance to cast out the ‘we-time-pon-top‘ demons that have possessed our politics since the 1950s.

For this to happen, a multi-party government has to be formed. The only political party that has placed a government of national unity (shared governance) at the heart of its political campaign is the APNU. In June  this year, the partners in the APNU  publicly signed what amounts to a Contract with Guyana, in which they announced their commitment “to the establishment of a Government of National Unity, which would have as its priority constitutional and institutional reforms necessary for the realization of Shared Governance; national reconciliation;  a partnership with youth to ensure their full involvement and participation in decision-making; and  the reconstruction of the society and the economy.”

What does this all mean for us, Guyanese? Foremost, it will put an end to the inequalities, insecurities, and indignities that have characterized one-party rule in Guyana over five decades. It would ensure our best minds can work together on national problems, such as unemployment, crime, poverty, low wages, and a weak economy. A Government of National Unity would give us all a feeling of belonging together. There will be a new and growing feeling of collectiveness and shared responsibility among Guyanese. It will be a break from the past.

No doubt, it would not all be smooth sailing or love at first sight. The political parties in the national government will continue to have serious differences of opinion and disagreements. Debates (‘opposition politics‘) will continue. Politics will not disappear; but it will now be more constructive and better managed. Remove the fear of loser-lose-all politics, and compromise and consensus in the national interest will be easier to reach.  Parties will now understand they are stakeholders not only in name but in reality. With time, a new culture of governance will develop, one that is less self-centred, less arrogant, more participatory, and more responsive to the needs of the people.

To form the Government of National Unity, one hurdle has to be crossed: the APNU must win come November 28. The constitution is clear that the party that gets the most votes (even by a single vote) gets to form the next government. It does not and will not matter if the combined votes of parties in the second and third positions are higher than the votes of the winning party. The winning party forms the new government regardless if it gets only 35 to 40% of the total votes. Should the APNU come in second, the country remains on square one. We would have changed nothing. A new start for the country begins, therefore, with a win for the APNU.

Your single vote is all it takes to make a break with the past. Let’s put our political parties to work together in a multiparty arrangement, in an atmosphere devoid of the rancour and madness that winner-take-all politics generates.

Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Lowe