Dear Editor,
I have been following the latest political developments in Guyana, more so since the No Confidence Motion was passed. I have watched the Government acquiesce then frantically back pedal on this issue, claiming that it was an illegal move by the Opposition.
Without trying to take sides, I would like to give my two cents to the various chips that have fallen since the fateful day of December 21st, 2018. Specifically I would like to reflect on the no confidence motion; the mathematics involved and whether this applies to our constitution; and the issue closest to my heart, whether dual citizens should be allowed in parliament.
The no confidence motion, in my opinion, and I daresay in the opinion of a majority of scholars, academics, the courts, and laypersons, was validly passed. Parliamentary rules were all applied and were followed. The speaker brought this to the floor and the votes were done according to established procedures. The fact is that the speaker and the government, initially, accepted this vote. It should not have been overturned based on flimsy reasoning. This blatantly allowed the government to put itself ahead of the good of the country and its democratic principles. The government should have followed the right path and continued its resignation process and called for elections as is specified in the Constitution. By not doing so it has squandered many votes that could have gone their way.
And one of the flimsy reasons is that 34 votes is needed because of rounding off of half of the members. I will not repeat the opinions of the majority of Guyanese, but I will just ask the question: Where in the Constitution of Guyana does it say that we need an absolute majority to determine a vote of no confidence? And where does it say that we have to use an outlandish formula to come up with this absolute majority, especially when another type of majority (2/3) is specified for/in other clauses? Answer this question and one will see that the government is grabbing at straws just to stay alive. This is detrimental to our young country and to our still young institutions.
The government, in desperately trying to come up with reasons to justify reversal of the no confidence motion shot itself in the feet by declaring that MP Charrandass Persaud was not eligible to vote because he was a dual citizen. This notion brings to the forefront the issue of dual citizens in our Parliament. And so it is that the same government has to abide by its own pleadings and allow its dual citizens MPs to resign, meaning that its ministers have to as well. How ironic. How shortsighted!
But for those who rather look at the brighter side of things, they will see that our institutions will come out of this stronger, and the issue of dual citizens has arrived to face us all. This is where I declare: Guyana needs all its citizens to come together to partake in its development. This dual citizens issue of declaring adherence to another state, and conflict of interest that can result from it, is not big enough to warrant throwing away the effective expertise, the huge pool of experienced and dedicated Guyanese residing abroad who wants to return and give back to the country of their birth. If we include all our overseas brothers and sisters, Guyana has a pool of experts that is second to none in the Caribbean! It would be very shortsighted to refuse such talents and richness. It should be noted that it was the overseas Guyanese who braved illegality and snow, and doggedness to come to the shores of other lands so they can work and send money and barrels back home for their family and neighbours. It was the overseas Guyanese that kept the economy of Guyana afloat in many ways during the late 80s and even into the early 90s. And they are still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to remittances. Just look at the IDB’s yearly reports on this. It is time we bring our overseas dual citizens into the fold so we can all come together and build this beautiful land. And I will argue that in this vein, we need to look at bringing back the overseas vote! Gone should be the days of election rigging and ghost registrations. This is after all the 21st century.
My final thought, in conclusion, is that I have seen all the steps this current government has taken with regards to elections, beginning with unilaterally appointing the Chairman of the Elections Commission; to defying the rulings of Parliament on the no confidence vote; to questions on the Ministry of Citizenship and its registration processes; and the list goes on. When the coalition won the general elections in 2015, I saw the faces of relief, vindication, validation, in my Afro Guyanese brothers and sisters. No longer were they committed to the sidelines of running the country. And today, this hold they now have on power is one that is difficult to give up because of the zero sum game of our politics.
I call on the PNC and the coalition to recognize that they won the 2015 elections freely. This progress indicates that no longer is race the major factor in ensuring that free elections are won. Now there are other factors such as (perception of) corruption, unemployment, economic hardships or successes, etc. Parties should now focus on these issues as they campaign for elections this year. And if all the rumblings are correct, the PNC does not have to worry if they lose the elections this year…the key election year will be 2024 when the oil money begins to manifest in our Guyana!
Yours faithfully,
Sharir Chan (dual citizen)
Sacramento, California
Mahaicony, Guyana
