Dear Editor,
When solidarity becomes absent in liberal societies political scientists often see that as a clear indication that its democratic culture is showing signs of dysfunctionality. Solidarity is achieved when citizens bond together in opposition to a common enemy. Sometimes the enemy can be external, which might be the case if Venezuela were to violate Guyana’s territorial integrity. Most times though, the threat to social cohesion is internal. For example, Lech Walesa’s Solidarity Move-ment in Poland emerged in 1980 out of a struggle between workers in Gdansk and the Communist regime. Banned and driven underground, Solidarność eventually won the 1990 elections making Walesa the first democratically elected president since 1926.
There is also a procedural aspect to solidarity that is embodied in a set of norms and values that govern a society. When APNU-AFC trampled on the country’s electoral system, it posed an existential threat to Guyana’s democratic culture. President Donald Trump wreaked havoc and almost caused a civil war in 2021-22 when he openly challenged the outcome of his country’s election. Solidarity has a distributive aspect as well in that all members of society agree to participate in its public institutions in order to have an equal share to the same banquet of opportunities, i.e. education, jobs, health care. And finally, solidarity is aspirational in the sense that the majority of citizens agree to abide by and respect the same set of values in order to achieve a higher purpose, i.e. peace and security and prosperity. The core values are: representation, participation, equity, accountability, predictability and a willingness to make legislative reform when required.
Political scientists consider these values to be more important than the institutions or laws that exist to embody them. If we were to objectively evaluate the record of the PPP/C on each of these values there would be no doubt that the governing party has gone above and beyond all reasonable expectations. But don’t let facts get in the way of Mr. Craig Sylvester. In his letter to the editor (Stabroek News, Feb. 3, 2023) the author makes a rather startling claim that in the last 10 or 20 years, he is apparently not sure, ‘Guyana has become a dysfunctional democracy.’ If the former economist at The Bank of Guyana wished, he could have provided readers with examples to substantiate his claim. Instead, he offers none.
The author does not dispute that the government has provided resources and finances to rice farmers, sugar workers and men and women of other sectors hit hard by APNU-AFC policies. Instead, he argues that the ruling party is doing this to make workers dependent on handouts and to ‘program’ and ‘condition’ their minds to slavishly support the PPP’s grip on power. Do nothing and Guyana is likely to end up with widespread social unrest. Do something, and it’s still not good enough for Mr. Sylvester.
What he fails to realize, however, is that in laying out his claim he is proffering an argument in favour of Guyana’s functional democracy under the PPP. The PPP’s record since taking office three years ago shows that it abides by all six of the core values of democracy – values that foster solidarity. The government is “representative” in that it continues to advocate for a plurality of voices in Guyana. The PPP/C is equitable in providing assistance to workers regardless of their ethnicity. It is accountable by effectively distributing the resources and assets of the state to the people of Guyana that need it the most. The government is predictable by being consistent in the application of norms and standards and hardly any sector can make a legitimate argument that the government restricts them from their personal participation in the affairs of the state.
And finally, the government has been adaptive by updating its institutions to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society. There is simply no basis for the allegation that Guyana is a dysfunctional democracy. None.
Sincerely,
Nazim Baksh
