WITH fewer than two months to go before Guyana decides which party to put in government, the political dynamics are shifting, changing and becoming clearer by the minute.
In the last three weeks, the public has witnessed an emboldened People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) winning the support of a number of People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and Alliance For Change (AFC) members, supporters, parliamentarians and party executives. This development has shifted the narrative and sent shockwaves throughout the opposition’s camp.
In response, the opposition PNC/APNU drew blood for its former bedfellow, AFC, after it failed quietly to attract any PPP/C politician. So, the AFC’s Sherod Duncan, Juretha Fernandes, and Ricky Ramsaroop, all sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), joined the APNU. The AFC responded, still in panic mode, by cancelling their memberships and putting a tongue licking on the PNC/APNU.
Also, MP Amanza Walton-Desir resigned from the PNC and formed her own party to contest the upcoming elections. Walton-Desir’s resignation has many layers to it, and the PNC seemingly is not bothered, but chose to issue a statement clarifying the circumstances which led to it.
And, there are still more than a dozen other small parties that plan on contesting the elections this year. They are claiming that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is not providing them with enough information which is critical to their participation. The race is on to get the list ready for Nomination Day, which is slated for July 14. The smaller parties are struggling to get the required number of endorsements, signatures and backers for the list.
At the outset, General Secretary of the PPP/C Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, was right to arrive at the conclusion that the opposition seems to be in disarray and trouble; he said that they appear to be desperate and panicking. Dr Jagdeo hit the nail on the head when he said that they are not serious because they are worried about negotiating for positions at this point, rather than agreeing on policies and plans before coalescing to form a broad and overarching coalition. It would appear that they want to form a coalition of convenience and not a trustworthy, responsible, respectful and workable coalition.
This is an unfortunate and sad state of affairs to be in at such a critical juncture in the lead-up to elections, which are less than three months away.
Firstly, if the opposition wants the public to take them seriously, they have to stop this game of stealing players from the same side. What sense does it make in the wider sense and picture if Duncan, for instance, plays politics for the APNU or AFC? They are busy cutting their noses to spoil their faces. It makes no sense, and it isn’t looking good to the public.
In all fairness, the APNU did not win anything here. They just got three washed-up, worn, used, and recycled AFC politicians who were batting for the same team that attempted to steal the 2020 elections.
The public has to be foolish to think that these three AFC politicians and MPs would make a difference to APNU’s politics. They offer no new ideas and plans for Guyana’s development or APNU’s approach to coalitions. And, the experienced politicians just let a former confidential secretary become its prime ministerial candidate? With no track record in leadership, policy articulation and formulation? The APNU coalition must be truly desperate and have slim pickings. But the public will find Fernandes hard to accept befores a Carl Greenidge, Volda Lawrence, Dawn Hastings-Williams, Basil Williams, among others.
The other two are too easy and not worthy of expending energy, time and column inches. This is a case of an APNU coalition confusion. Why did they not say that they joined the PNC? The public awaits the answer to this question.
Secondly, the opposition is doing itself a disservice by the way it is playing politics. It is saying loud and clear it is interested in positions first, then party, and governance and policy last. It is shameful to read the circumstances that led to the collapse of what was to be a “broad coalition.” Position and power ought not to be the primary factors for entering politics. But this was the sole focus of the negotiations process for months. It was a fight for positions and power. Who would get the presidential candidate post, prime ministerial candidate post, Attorney General candidate post and Ministerial candidate nod?
It is disheartening to learn that policy and people did not seem to matter or take up a larger focus in the discussion of forming a coalition or alliance. They did not even discuss their policy positions, plans for the future, and ideas that would see Guyana being further developed.
It is ‘grudge and greed’ politics that were being waged in farming out a possible coalition. It was positions and parties that were the centre of the talks as opposed to political ideologies, policy formulation and plans. This round of coalition talks that failed exposed the AFC and PNCR/APNU’s commitment to coalition politics; it was not genuine from the start and was just lip service.
Aubrey Norton and Nigel Hughes fumbled the bag and sacrificed their political parties for their own ambitions and forward movement. They proved that they are not mature politicians but little men playing in a sport for big and mature men. But in the end, Norton schooled Hughes and now has him eating out of his hands.
Thirdly, Walton-Desir should never have cut ties with the PNC. She does not understand the dynamics of party politics or acts on her emotions as opposed to facts and sense. She should have waited for her turn and time. The PNCR is bigger than the position. This seems to be the vocal gripe, along with other things that she said she experienced over the last few years in the party.
She was weak, timid and immature. That being said, it is good that she founded another party, with which she can hopefully make a dent in the political landscape. If she does not get results at the upcoming elections, and she won’t, she does not have anyone to blame for her failure to convince the public to vote for her.
The truth is, her obsession with being called an MP and politician got the best of her; she will learn that politics is not for the faint of heart. Finally, the PNC and APNU, and the AFC are not thinking in terms of strategy. They are losing political capital with the way they are playing their cards in the lead-up to this election, which, for the record, looks like a landslide win for the PPP/C.
They are dividing up the opposition voters as opposed to uniting the voters. They are weakening the electoral appeal of the opposition and, by virtue, strengthening the PPP, which hasn’t had a political casualty or crossover in the last decade of any substance. In the end, coalition politics has been dealt a strong blow this time, thanks to the small-mindedness of Norton and Hughes. Pettiness breeds disaster.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.