Randy Gopaul
In the face of growing public frustration and political posturing, one truth remains unshaken, the people of Guyana deserve a functioning democracy, even if it means living with a minority government. In fact, we may even thrive under one.
As it stands, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime has proven itself to be corrupt, discriminatory, and oppressive. The cost of living has skyrocketed under their leadership. African-Guyanese lands are being expropriated with impunity, businesses owned by African-Guyanese citizens are being stifled, and a culture of extrajudicial killings, police abuse, and state-sponsored violence persists. The people of Guyana see it daily. They feel it. They know it.
But here’s the reality many hesitate to say out loud, even if the PPP manages to cling to power, forcing them into a minority government is both possible and necessary. A PPP stripped of its parliamentary majority will be a government forced to negotiate, forced to consult, and forced to respect the will of the people it so often tries to bypass.
It would mean a plurality of votes going to an independent PNCR, the AFC, and potentially new formations like the Mohamed political party or others emerging from our growing political consciousness. It would mean that no one party dictates Guyana’s future without compromise. It would be the rebirth of accountability.
The AFC, a party that has never secured more than 10% of the national vote, but has taken the audacious step of demanding the presidency and 25 to 40% of ministerial and agency positions in any coalition. These demands seem unreasonable and unrealistic.
How does a party that has not been able to secure meaningful public support claim entitlement to lead the nation? What does it say to the loyal supporters of the PNCR, a party with over 75 years of history and a consistent 32% to 42% of the national vote, when its leadership is asked to surrender power to an ally that has not demonstrated similar strength at the ballot box? What space remains for other meaningful voices like the WPA or the ALP, if disproportionate demands are given in to?
Aubrey Norton’s resistance to AFC’s “hard core” bargaining reflects a reality that cannot be ignored. Leadership, he is finding out, is not about appeasing the loudest negotiator at the table, it is about honoring the voices of the people. The PNCR might be forced to hold its ground, not out of pride, but out of respect for its supporters and the integrity of Guyanese democracy. Perhaps, it is better for every party, including the AFC, to be challenged to go directly to the people with their vision, their platform, and their promises.
Let all parties make their independent cases to the Guyanese people. Let them prove that they deserve the role they demand. Let every party contest with clarity and conviction. If they can convince the Guyanese people of their superiority, their wisdom, and their readiness to lead, then the people will decide accordingly at the ballot box. There should be no shortcut to power in a true democracy. There is only the long, hard road of persuasion, engagement, and winning the people’s trust.
Meanwhile, our immediate responsibility should be clear, to deprive the PPP of its unchecked power. Reducing them to a minority government is a viable political strategy, it is also a national imperative. It forces debate. It compels negotiation. It creates space for new voices. And most importantly, it protects the nation from the abuses that flourish under absolute rule.
Guyana does not need to fear a minority government. We need to fear continued authoritarian rule disguised as democracy. We must embrace a future where no party holds our country hostage, and where every decision is made through consensus and with respect for the people’s will.
Guyana can live with a minority government. In truth, we may not just live, we may finally begin to thrive.
