Critical to the success of any political party, in and out of government, is the ability and acceptance that introspection is vital for its survival and relevance. Should political parties, particularly in Guyana, accept their relevance and power come from the people and could likewise be denied by the people they will function better.
A humbug in Guyana’s politics is the perceived comfort level of leaders in the political parties. The perception is given that they think there is no need to be receptive to public opinions because they have the votes, won’t get the votes of others, or they do not care for the vote of others. This attitude creates a sense of arrogance on the part of some leaders and resignation on the part of others. Neither outlook is healthy.
The arrogant leaders feel they could do the country, supporters and non-supporters anything and it matters not whether they complain. There is seeming comfort that even though their supporters may grumble or complain they would still vote for the party even if they have to hold their nose. The comfort in some part is assured given traditional racial voting patterns, though there is emerging evidence this is no longer rock solid.
The leaders that have resigned themselves to a (false) fate that they would always win an election or never win but content to be the major or minority opposition do their supporters and the political process no good. Politics is competitive, particularly in ideas and doing better for the masses. Even a perceived minority party could elevate its status should politics be valued as competitive not arrogance or resignation.
On May 11, host of the “Politics 101” Programme Dr. David Hinds interviewed Cathy Hughes, Alliance for Change executive, Member of Parliament and former Minister of Public Telecommunications, and Deon Abrams, executive member of the Working People’s Alliance. In that interview there were interesting discussions by the panelists about their party’s role in politics, and the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition government.
It was refreshing to listen to open political conversation where leaders were not shy in vocalising their introspection on the performance of the APNU+AFC government. It brings to the fore something that has been lacking in the political culture but necessary for growth of the culture. This publication will not engage in assessment of what any of the panelists said other than to note this type of conversation is welcoming.
It requires maturity to do introspection and based on introspection to move to fix what went wrong. One thing that was noticed is the feeling that the major party, no doubt the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), sought to miniaturise the input of the other parties. This concern has been widely repeated over the five years. Similarly it cannot be ignored some in the major party felt the smaller parties, by the things they were saying, were disregarding PNCR supporters, the party’s numerical and mobilising strength and the work they did to get the Coalition elected. Big arrogance is just as bad as small arrogance and both could hurt the whole. The trust and respect issues have to be worked on if the Coalition is to ensure its relevance and offer hope to society.
Many welcome coalition politics in divided Guyana. They see coalition politics as significant to better race relations, peaceful co-existence and national development. The Coalition’s survival relies heavily on doing honest introspection, however painful, and putting the collective (coalition’s) interest over individual (party’s) interest. Mrs. Hughes, Dr. Hinds and Mr. Abrams have started the conversation. It would have been good if the panel had a member from the PNCR. Listeners could have benefitted from that party’s introspection and perspective of the last five years.
