Dear Editor,
It is a day that that enchants: January 10 is Nomination Day. It also could turn out to be Guyana’s day of salvation, if I were to listen to the assorted pundits and political visitors touching down. I don’t; and visitors are what they are, for after the end of the first quarter some will disappear, never to be heard from (or of) again. From the perch of late December, Nomination Day already appears more crowded than Stabroek Market at evening rush hour.
I see this as the first problem, since they are too many of them contesting for some stray votes. At the present time, there is a youth party, an indigenous party, an old-timer (pardon, vintage) party, a business party, and recently a religious party, among a smattering of others. The praying people may not be quite the calibre, just yet, of the Christian Democrats of European lore, but they will do. And while Guyanese wisemen are at it, they should take a gander at what Nostradamus said, if anything, is embedded in that date of 1-10-20. But, as said before, they are just too many them fighting for the voting scraps available. The pickings are poor.
With all these newcomers jostling for political space and some post-elections air, something is necessary: they should form one grand coalition. Like I have always said: sacrifices have to be made; egos may be pinched, and visions obscured, since some would be compelled to fall off the radar to invisible, inaudible supporting roles. Because what I think makes the most sense is for all the various groups to band together and form their own unsullied coalition, which could project a genuine national front party, since it would have all the components of Guyanese demographics. A unity government it could well be, with racial and religious elements accounted for and somewhat well-represented. Such a combined group would be in a position to say no to either of the political majors that come calling while looking for a junior coalition partner. Now that is strength and showing the big boys who is the new big boss around here. But they have to get their act together.
I see ANUG and FEDUP (never knew it existed, but welcome to the party) formed a coalition. That’s a start, but still leaves too many stragglers (almost a dozen) roaming around hopefully. They have to get almost 200 hundred names/signatures from each region to proceed past January 10. I have doubts that some can get to that number cleanly. Regardless, I think this battalion has to boil down to two groups; anything more, and they undercut each other and even neutralize each other. The sheer weight of the number of new groups could lead to mistakes and inadvertently benefit the big PNC and PPP dogs.
Nevertheless, I think that Guyana could very find itself in an unprecedented position, as I there is a remote possibility that this country could be on to something different, and for the first time in its troubled existence. It is the situation where men and a few women have stepped forward to swear that they are different, plan and mean differently, and are ready to invest personal capital to be actually different. That is, of course, if they did emerge with anything in the post elections counting scrimmage. Troublemakers and troubleshooters, they can be, even with a mere 2-3 seats. To get those 12,000-20,000 votes is the challenge, and a gruelling one.
But now the tests come, the questions that challenge the depth and authenticity of the Guyanese voting legions. Despite all the woes and wasted time and opportunities, do Guyanese really want what is different? Different political people? Different political culture? Different political (governance) results? To ask and answer, I do not believe so at this time; I say so, as I applaud all who have ventured forth to announce their visions to give this society something unfamiliar and lead it to somewhere else.
For without exception, each of the new groups has trumpeted that it is a patriotic party and a democratic party and a party with a vision that can take places. In view of what has been delivered by one political master after another in the last six decades, it is high time for the arrival of some people and something that is totally radical, maybe even something atheistic and undemocratic, but representative of a bona fide commitment to unleashing the governance enhancements so crucially needed here. To get there, they have to give themselves a chance: radically lessen the number of new groups.
I foresee the circus hour intensifying from January 10 (maybe before) and allowing ample opportunity for the queen mother of Guyanese elections to unfold. Interesting times are promised.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
