New Year dreams

For many people, the end of one year and the beginning of the next are naught but an arbitrary division imposed by the Julian calendar. For the more rational amongst us, nothing really changes from December 31 to January 1, except the passing of time. But only the most Scrooge-like spoilsport would deny Guyanese the seasonal luxury of wishing for a better year and harbouring dreams of individual self-improvement and national progress.

There is certainly nothing wrong with dreaming of a brighter future, especially in the wake of game-changing elections and the potential for charting a new course, even if we are in uncharted political waters. But it is not sufficient to dream alone. To borrow from the Mahatma, people have to be the change they desire.

Citizens have to stand up and be counted, not necessarily by taking to the streets, but rather by making their voices heard in legitimate forums to press for the change they wish. They have to find ways to bring pressure to bear on those they have elected, so that the men and women who occupy posts in the new government and the new parliament know what their mandate is and remember to whom they are accountable.

While our politicians wrestle with the implications of the hung parliament and struggle to interpret the signals from the electorate, they should be aware of one overriding truth: the people’s message, as has been repeated these past few weeks, is that it cannot be business as usual. And while it is perhaps only natural that tough negotiating positions are being staked out in public, we can only hope that, behind the scenes, calmer heads are prevailing and that the unedifying posturing that the mere prospect of power seems to bring out in some will be discarded in the interest of fresh thinking and, as we argued last Sunday, improved governance.

In our editorial of October 21, 2011 (‘The quality of our democracy’), we had presented the view that our understanding of democracy should go beyond the holding of free and fair elections to “encompass the way in which power is responsibly exercised and allow for a greater participatory role by citizens, especially when it comes to holding their elected representatives accountable for their policies and actions during, rather than at the end of, their term of office.” The November 28 result has provided both our politicians and us as citizens with the opportunity to improve the quality of our democracy and make of our republic a functioning democracy.

We therefore need the matter of the Speaker of the National Assembly to be settled quickly, amicably and in the best spirit of political compromise. Parliament must be convened as soon as possible in the New Year and our representatives owe it to the nation to make the best possible fist of working together in the new dispensation. The country is simply not ready, willing or able to return to the polls too soon.

That said, a way will have to be found to hold the long overdue local government elections, in the shortest possible practical time, as another move to buttress our democratic evolution and to build citizen participation in the political process from the bottom up rather than seek to maintain the top-down system that perpetuates patronage and tribalism.

In the meantime, in addition to a re-energised opposition, we need civil society itself to be reinvigorated and rejuvenated, particularly by the young people who, through the use of social media and direct involvement, played a more active role than normal in the recent elections.

Critical to making our democracy truly functional will be the opening up of channels for the people to make their voices heard and the creation of mechanisms for engagement with the politicians at both the local government and national levels, outside of party structures. This will take time, but it should be vigorously pursued.

For the first time since we became a republic, the ‘tyranny of the majority’ will no longer hold sway in parliament. Let us hope that our politicians can rise above petty partisanship to avoid political gridlock and create an enabling environment for engagement, dialogue and progress.

We know that we are in danger of belabouring this argument. But not to persist would be to undermine our own consistent call for commitment and renewal in our politics and governance. As the New Year dawns, hope once again springs eternal.