LAST week, I acknowledged the value of thinking and ideas in my column. I underscored that when a political party wants power, it must be made to share its ideas and plans for the next five years and the future. I said that too often they tell the country how they feel about each other and give us their assessment of what is taking place in the government alone, but never what they are committed to doing to change the situation, should they be elected.
Bharrat Jagdeo has a clear vision for what his party intends to achieve and continue if re-elected on September 1. He has consistently championed the PPP’s accomplishments in office from 2020 to the present, as outlined in the party’s manifesto. Jagdeo has taken on the role of articulating the policies implemented by both the party and the government, doing so with clarity and conviction. He is also unafraid to acknowledge occasional tensions between the party’s and the government’s agendas, but addresses them with charm and charisma, confident that, in the end, both will align.
Each week, Jagdeo has bold ideas, and is willing to have an open debate on policies with any politician. Aubrey Norton, to his credit, attempts at certain strategic points to do the same, but is caught when the questions start. He resorts to coming across as arrogant, hostile, heated, and difficult to most journalists, but it is hardly ever commented on by the Guyana Press Association, and the other public and civil society watchdogs.
He does not articulate the party’s policies very well, and hardly defends the things that his party and the coalition did while they were in government. Is that because of the lack of plans and vision? Norton spends most of his party’s time criticising the government and pointing out the flaws in each sector, and not enough time schooling the government in policy formulation and implementation. If Norton opposes a policy or project, then he must propose a more viable option.
Norton must share his bold ideas and plans with the public, because it will be good for his image as an intellectual and politician. He should be fiercely defending and explaining the PNC’s and David Granger’s administration’s policies. He must not wait until the launch to unveil bold visions and plans. That is not how elections are won! The public wants to see their leaders from the PNC and APNU meeting a wide cross-section of the society.
The AFC is almost dead when it comes to originality, sound and workable ideas. The party is the reason the APNU lost power, if the failures are closely examined. The party’s poor government performance and rogue party membership stand out to this day. Yet, Nigel Hughes engages the media in policy discussions, albeit to a lesser extent than Jagdeo and Norton. The AFC has become a knock-off of APNU or the PNC. So, their ideas and plans for Guyana are one and the same, with slight deviations.
Other political parties are in the dark. None of them has either the brains or the manpower to engage the public in a sound discourse about policy, ideas and plans. So, they bluff their way, criticising the ruling PPP/C government’s policies, but have none of their own.
It is disheartening to see the ‘wannabe Guyana’s Xena’, Amanza Walton-Desir fall short on having sound policies which she plans to pursue. It’s all good to speak in abstract terms and idealistic terms of strategy, but it is not enough. The presidential candidate must surely know this. Where is the plan or manifesto with less than 60 days to go to the polls?
‘Xena’ better put on her thinking cap and stop bluffing us with these foolish coalitions of convenience she is entering into with third parties. Walton-Desir must show us the team she has around her, working on the campaign. She must not only have the ambition to lead, but also the plans. She must be strategic, and go to meetings in unconventional areas. Shouting and being aggressive or even being a bully will not get you to the office of the President. Walton-Desir needs to show up Jagdeo, Norton and the others. The so-called warrior princess must take a stand.
And, don’t get me started on the We Invest in Nationhood Party (WIN). They will lose the upcoming elections, not because of their lack of policies but principles. Its leader, Azruddin Mohamed, cannot speak or adumbrate anything coherently, much less policy. He simply cannot communicate anything unless it is written or spoon-fed to him. This is why he cannot handle the pressure of entering a policy debate or discussion. This is why he throws a stone and hides his hand at public engagements, which, mind you, are mostly in the hinterland. Odessa Primus, the chatterbox with the never-ending props, is the brains box pulling all the strings of Mohamed. She has to speak for him whenever serious questions are raised by the public relating to the campaign, US sanctions, or policies.
Mohamed has offered the public not even a manifesto or plan, but he wants to be president? Okay. For now, he must sit in the corner and be content with watching the comedic show that Primus is rolling out. I would not dare engage him and Primus in a serious discussion about policy and futuristic thinking. No. Spare me the intellectual agony.
The other parties must do much introspection. They must examine whether they are ready to lead Guyana seriously; they must question their existence; even Guyana deserves better, and they must take some time and think whether they are making a difference in the country’s landscape. This is exactly why Third Force parties fail in Guyana. They spring up at election time without taking the time and do their homework. Many of them do not care about the people and the electorate. They are movements born out of political convenience. They’re excited by the likes and shares on social media, mistakenly believing that Online engagement will translate into real votes at the polls. It’s time to pause, refocus, and reset. If you’re entering politics as a small party, plan your moves carefully.
I am perturbed and angered to think that Guyanese would ever see these third parties as viable options for replacing the PPP and PNC. The AFC, WIN, and other small parties are not ready for national politics; they lack the seriousness and experience. They lack the intellectual stimulus to lead this great country. They lack policies and plans to attract voters at the polls. Many of them do not even have the integrity and competency the presidency deserves.
These third parties need to go back to the drawing board. They need to read the mood of people when it comes to elections or settle for defeat, which will certainly be agonising. Guyana’s future is too important to be gambled with. This is not the time for playing a game of chance, and certainly not a time for playing checkers. I am disappointed that the election race didn’t bring more serious candidates to the fore to challenge the PPP/C and APNU establishments for power.
Nomination Day is a few days away, and it will be a two-way race where we will see a healthy dose of politics without the foolishness, buffoonery and theatrics.