Dear Editor,
Someone once said that the greatest of all freedoms is the freedom of choice.
Guyanese will once again be given that opportunity to make a choice on a May 11 about which political party they would like to govern this country for another five years.
However, unlike what happened in 2011, the chances of any of the contesting political parties winning a plurality of the votes is almost zero. This is why the stakes in the upcoming national elections are so high. The constitution does not allow for post-election coalitions which is why the APNU and the AFC agreed to join forces in advance of the elections with the hope of securing a majority of the votes and thereby taking control of two of the three powerful branches of government, namely the executive and the legislature.
The PPP/C on the other hand is determined to recover lost ground, especially in the context of a lower than expected voter turnout and a relatively high level of voter apathy.
There is a school of thought among political scientists to the effect that it is in the best interest of the country for someone to abstain from voting rather than voting for the wrong political party. This is referred to in the literature as functional apathy, and speaks to the dangers that could befall any nation when wrong political choices are made.
This is why it is so important and necessary for voters to be guided by policies and programmes that are intended to promote the national good, rather than appeals to baser human instincts and surface emotions.
With the exception of the PPP/C, which already has a clear vision and a well-defined and articulated strategy to propel this country forward, none of the other parties has so far presented to the electorate what plans they have that are comparable or superior to those offered by the present PPP/C government.
Rather, the main focus by the APNU+AFC coalition is to be critical of the policies of the administration without coming up with viable and workable alternatives.
Simply being critical without offering credible solutions is at best dysfunctional and smacks of a fair measure of deception by the political opposition.
The failure by the APNU and the AFC to lend parliamentary support to several pieces of legislation aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the country and creating jobs for our young people put under severe strain their sincerity and credibility as a serious alternative to the incumbent PPP/C administration. It would take an awful lot of explanation by the APNU+AFC coalition as to why the electorate should entrust in their hands the stewardship of administering the affairs of the state especially when seen against the anti-developmental stance they have taken during the life of the previous parliament.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
