Guyana needs new form of “political thinking” – Jagdeo

– lobbies for PPP, PNC to work together for survival, good of Guyana

Citing the need to move away from the outdated thinking of race-based politics, former President and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has called for his party and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) to work together – something he says is vital not just for the good of Guyana but also for the survival of the two political groups.

“Trust me, the country needs a new form of enlightened thinking and a new approach to solving issues,” Jagdeo declared on Wednesday evening at a wake to celebrate the life of former PNCR Leader Robert Corbin, who died at the age of 78 on October 4 after a prolonged illness.
Corbin served as the PNCR leader and opposition leader from 2002 to 2012. During that period, Jagdeo was serving as President of Guyana and had a series of engagements with Corbin.
According to the former President, at the time, Guyanese were actively divided along racial lines and reeling from the hurt endured during the 1960s.
“We promoted stereotypes of each other, and that stereotype led to a paralysis in our thinking and our actions and a fear that if we were to step out of the groupthink, the thinking of our party, there would be consequences at a personal and career level,” Jagdeo stated.
However, he noted that Corbin recognised the importance of collaboration between the two parties and was willing to take a risk.
“Robert Corbin defended his party fiercely. In every engagement we’ve had, he always defended his party. He was the strongest advocate for the People’s National Congress, but he had a bigger vision for the country, and he understood government. That made it easy for me to work with him, unlike so many other leaders because they don’t understand government and how governments work. Because of his experience in the People’s National Congress, in a leadership position, he understood that,” Jagdeo noted.
In fact, the former President recalled working with Corbin to lay the foundation for the PPP and PNC to work together – two big parties with a strong history, both individually and collectively.

Mistrust
But while the parties shared ideological similarities in terms of fierce patriotism and a commitment to the working class as well as private sector development, the PPP General Secretary said it was recognised that coming together for the good of the country could not work if there was no trust between the PPP and PNC – something he and Corbin set out to address.
“We knew that the changes we made in the Constitution of Guyana in 2001 were far-reaching changes,” the former President stated, recalling that it was not a smooth journey, as they experienced friction in Parliament to implement some of the new features from that reform process that could have led to an almost legislative form of power-sharing.
It was that mistrust between the two parties, he noted, that harmed those efforts, and Corbin paid the ultimate price.
“I went to my executive, Janet Jagan was alive, and I said it is time for us to start engaging the People’s National Congress on the future of Guyana. I had unanimous support from the cabinet and the party’s leadership. We started working. I met with Mr Corbin and some of the senior leaders of the PNC at the Office of the President with Roger Luncheon and some of the other leaders of our party. We had a first meeting and a second meeting. And then there was the PNC Congress, and [Corbin] was accused of selling out to the PPP and Jagdeo, and that was the end of the discussions,” the former President recounted.

Political survival
However, given the new age of politics and the younger generation, the PPP General Secretary contended that the two parties need a new framework of cooperation to survive in the long term.
According to Jagdeo, who serves as Vice President in the current PPP/C Administration, he is constantly trying to adjust his party’s thinking, foster a more inclusive environment, and be open to new ideas. In the same breath, he pointed out that the PNC will have to make its own decision about its future and what role it wants to play in the future of Guyana.
“Unless our parties, these two parties, change today, the era of binary thinking, of old thinking, is long gone; we will face extinction… The young people of today see things differently… They may be with you on one issue and with me on another issue, but they still support either of the two parties. And unless we develop that new framework and unless our parties grow and mature and get over the hurt of what happened historically, we will not be able to give true leadership and realise the full potential of this country.”
“And so, Robert Corbin is unique in that fashion. He was willing to take a risk. He paid the price for it… I genuinely miss him and his thinking… Our country is poorer because he’s no longer here with us, and I wish he had succeeded. Maybe this would have been a different place if we had succeeded,” Jagdeo posited.