A constitutional struggle is once again on the political agenda

Dear Editor,

The decision of Presi-dent Donald Ramotar to prorogue the tenth parliament of Guyana is another manifestation of the confidence the PPP/C leadership and government have in their tested and very successful method of dealing with the political opposition since it came to power in 1992, ie, to put a very high price for any success the opposition hopes to achieve in the ongoing conflict that rages between the two contesting sides.

On Monday, November 10, 2014 in response to the combined parliamentary opposition’s declaration to move a no-confidence motion against the government, the President very early in the day fired his missile in a pre-emptive strike thereby turning the opposition’s intended show of force into a damp squib. The nation awaits the opposition’s response. They, the opposition, will have to come good this time lest they run the risk of again being condemned as no match for the rulers.

In this historic political struggle the battle lines are clearly drawn. The rulers are convinced that they have the opposition on the run. Their propaganda campaign is designed to portray the opposition as being irresponsible, uncaring, unstable and destructive. Their spokespersons on the television airwaves are also mocking the leaders of the opposition, making jokes at what they perceive as the opposition’s inability to get their supporters to make a significant response to the proroguing of the parliament. At the same time they are calling for stability in the country while further insulting the opposition and the majority of the electorate by proposing dialogue as the way out of the impasse that they, the rulers, have created. This so called olive branch that is being held out by Mr Ramotar must be seen for what it is – nothing but political baiting.

The combined opposition for its part has denounced the rulers’ action and accused them of establishing a one party dictatorship. It has pledged not to tolerate this imposition. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr David Granger has called on Guyanese to mobilise and turn up at 5.30pm on Friday, November 14 at the Square of the Revolution for a mass rally. Expectations are running high among a large segment of the population.

As I have said above the battle lines are drawn – the ruler’s trump card is ‘stability’ – the opposition trump card is ‘instability.’ In the present engagement there will be a winner and a loser. The stakes are very high with little room to manoeuvre on either side. In my estimation what we have here is a battle of political wills with the winner being the ones who show greater determination to hold their ground.

What happens or does not happen in the next week or two will determine where Guyana goes from here. I am duty bound to remind the nation that this political crisis reached explosion point when the AFC leadership proposed in the National Assembly a no-confidence motion in the government as a result of the excesses of certain ministers of the government. The APNU, which itself had proposed a number of punitive measures to deal with the said ministerial excesses and constitutional violations, felt duty bound to support its parliamentary ally – even in spite of my advice to the political opposition to bite the bullet, which they refused to do. It is my contention that in proceeding with the no-confidence motion the APNU and AFC have assumed joint responsibility for the outcome of this struggle. It is my fervent hope that the AFC remains true to its commitment to see this struggle to its logical conclusion and does not jump ship as a result of the pressure the PPP/C will put it under in the weeks ahead. If that party falls prey to the PPP/C’s pressure it will be condemned as a political bluffer. Electoral opportunism can extract a major political price from those who choose to walk down that road.

Ironically, both the APNU and AFC opted for elections as the way to deal with the arrogant ruling executive who demonstrated contempt for the majority in the parliament. In the three years of the tenth parliament the opposition refused to wage the required constitutional struggle to address the country’s governance challenges. Objective reality has once again put on the political agenda a constitutional struggle. Have the leaders of the combined opposition gotten the message or are they prepared to continue with their heads deep in the sand?

The nation and the world are watching how this struggle will evolve. One thing is sure if the opposition does not do the correct thing from here on, they will be condemned by history.

Yours faithfully,

Tacuma Ogunseye