IN THE MULTI-ETHNIC CARICOM nations of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, where citizens of East Indian and African descent constitute the dominant composition of the population, the so-called “race card” has remained a disturbing and challenging factor, at repeated general elections, prior to and post-independence from Britain.
The significant difference is that careful political management in T&T – where the ethnic composition between the dominant ethnic groups is not as significant as in Guyana – has avoided the awesome bloody racial disturbances – faced by separate administrations of the People’s National Congress and People’s Progressive Party – under respective leadership of Presidents Forbes Burnham and Cheddie Jagan (both now deceased).
Ironically, neither of these two electoral thoroughbreds (PPP and PNC), could secure legitimate state power across ethnicities without multi-ethnic support and with verified free and fair election. This is the reality that the PNC chose to ignore in preference for notoriously rigged elections as independently documented by international, regional and local election monitors while in tight control of state power.
With the restoration in October 1992 of “free and fair elections”, for which the Carter Centre of former US President Jimmy Carter had played a most significant role, the PPP/Civic achieved state power. It was to retain the reins of power for almost the same period (23 years) as the PNC had done. The fundamental difference being under verification of successive independent monitoring missions.
That development was facilitated under enormous pressures from civil society and the PPP, by the now late President Desmond Hoyte, who succeeded the late PNC leader, Burnham.
Now, in August 2015 – just over three months after last May 11 general elections for the 65-member National Assembly – while the governing coalition administration of PNC leader David Granger is engaged in debating the current national budget, the PPP is awaiting the outcome of a high court hearing of an elections petition it has filed claiming electoral malpractices that robbed it of returning to government by a one-seat majority allotted to the governing PNC/AFC coalition.
Telegraphed warning
Enter ex-president Bharrat Jagdeo with the former two-term president in the new role of Opposition Leader as of this past Monday and the PNC-led coalition, involving the minor Alliance for Change (AFC). The PPP has already telegraphed a warning to the government and GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) of “a struggle to change the claimed rigged parliamentary status quo” based on the declared one-seat majority in the 65-member House of Assembly.
As claimed by Jagdeo, a development economist/politician by profession – even the declared official results have confirmed that the PPP/Civic remains the country’s single largest party, having polled forty nine (49) per cent of the officially declared valid votes.
Truth is that whatever eventually develops in relation to the PPP’s elections petition, currently before the country’s Chief Justice, Ian Chang, the harsh political reality points to a clear, and urgent, need for new enlightened approaches on the way forward for national unity in Guyana. This remains the big challenge for both President Granger and Jagdeo.
This would require practical initiatives to avoid the pattern of negative head-counting for local and parliamentary elections. They must seriously and sincerely move toward the highly desirable goal of fostering practical national unity that’s based on mutual respect for the fundamental social and political rights that could enhance Guyana’s endearing national motto: “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”.
Meanwhile, across in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, some 55 minutes Caribbean Airlines flying time from Guyana, where the “race factor” is once again being played out for the coming September 7 general elections, the incumbent People’s Partnership administration of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is parading confidence for a second term victory.
For his part, leader of the opposition People’s National Movement, Keith Rowley, is boldly seeking to energise supporters of the PNM with the promise of “our turn next”, while quite aware that his party is facing an uphill task for a return to state power in the face of some strong criticisms over his own leadership style. This includes, say his critics, a virtual absence of the political flexibility demonstrated under the leadership of the now retired and ailing Patrick Manning.
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.
