Towards a one-party dictatorship in Guyana 

(Guest Editorial) Based on observations of objective facts, the conclusions of political analysts, and the opinions of knowledgeable Guyanese, Guyana is – without any doubt – on a path to becoming a one-party dictatorship.

Since the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been in power for the last three decades (interrupted briefly by a truncated Coalition term), one may conclude that it is the PPP that has placed Guyana on that path. And the fact is; one-party dictatorship is unquestionably the intent and ultimate goal of the PPP.

A one-party dictatorship is a system of government where the country is ruled by a single political party, meaning only one political party exists and the forming of other political parties is forbidden. Examples of this system include China, North Korea, Cuba, and Myanmar.

A country may go from being a normal democracy to being a one-party dictatorship in only three ways:

1. By military insurrection, for example, as have happened numerous times in Pakistan.
2. By the election of an openly dictatorial leader, for example, as occurred in Germany with the election of Adolf Hitler.
3. By the election of a secretly dictatorial regime that pretends to be democratic, for example, as is happening now in Guyana.

It is the view of numerous observers that Guyana is being propelled towards one-party dictatorship status by the PPP.

It is the view that Guyana is currently a “One-party dominant state.”

A one-party dominant state is a system of rule where one political party has won power by any means and is the dominant ruling party. And actively excludes any outside force from the decision-making processes. Examples include Venezuela, Turkey, Russia, Montenegro, and Zimbabwe.

It is reasonable to conclude that the PPP – once it has grabbed more political power – will seek to make the life of any political opposition more difficult.

It is logical to believe that the big, ongoing campaign by the PPP ahead of local government elections (LGE) tomorrow is part of the PPP’s grab for more political power. As such, many see any vote for a PPP candidate at the LGE is a vote for one-party dictatorship in Guyana.

There are signs that a ruling party intends to set up a one-party dictatorship.

Robert Reich is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Bill Clinton administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century.

He has written some 17 books, including the best sellers “Aftershock,” “The Work of Nations,” “Beyond Outrage,” and “The Common Good.” He is a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, founder of Inequality Media, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentaries “Inequality For All,”Robert Reich wrote a list of the warning signs of a government planning to impose a one-party dictatorship.

The following is that list:

1. Exaggerate their mandate to govern – claiming, for example, that they won an election by a landslide.
2. Repeatedly claim massive voter fraud in the absence of any evidence, in order to restrict voting in subsequent elections.
3. Call anyone who opposes them “enemies.”
4. Turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize them, calling them “deceitful” and “scum.”
5. Hold few if any press conferences, preferring to communicate with the public directly through mass rallies and unfiltered statements.
6. Tell the public big lies, causing them to doubt the truth and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals.
7. Blame economic stresses on immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias and even violence against them.
8. Attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and limit civil liberties
9. Threaten mass deportations, registries of religious minorities, and the banning of refugees.
10. Seek to eliminate or reduce the influence of competing centers of power, such as labor unions and opposition parties.
11. Appoint family members to high positions of authority
12. Surround themselves with their own personal security force rather than a security detail accountable to the public.
13. Put generals into top civilian posts
14. Make personal alliances with foreign dictators.
15. Draw no distinction between personal property and public property, profiteering from their public office.