As every day passes, Guyanese at home and abroad are shocked by the manner in which the APNU/AFC (A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change) coalition is running the affairs of this country.
They know that this is not the change or new dispensation that they voted for back in 2015 when they divorced the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) with the hope of securing better governance, higher levels of accountability and transparency, and a better socioeconomic future.
Also, the coalition, since taking over the reins of Government, has removed its mask while abandoning all of the core principles that it promoted pre-May 11, 2015. It has become arrogant, deceptive, indifferent, and disillusioned after it drank from the fountain of power. What is more worrisome, too, is that President David Granger, who leads that coalition, is also not the man he professes to be. Over the past two and a half years, he has grown into a politically dishonest being who hides behind ceremony and officialdom in order to avoid being directly held responsible for the bad policy decisions made by his administration, which continues to frustrate the dreams and aspirations of hard working poor and middle class families in Guyana.
But unlike other Presidents, Mr Granger cannot run and hide behind his immunity from suit, as this is 2017 and people are much bolder now because they are willing to stand up and fight against dictatorships and politicians who only want to talk the talk but not walk the walk. All of that aside, he made the biggest mistake so far in his political career when he unilaterally appointed retired Judge James Patterson to the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission. That move has no doubt divided this country and thrown it into a political crisis. A majority of the populace feel hurt and betrayed by his decision, and this has led to questions about the politricks behind Mr Patterson’s appointment and suitability for the job. That is the core issue, and nothing else. If one were to assess the qualities and qualifications set by Mr Granger for the job, one would see that Justice Patterson is neither fit nor proper. In fact, several of the candidates nominated by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo are more qualified as well as fit and proper for the post than the retired Judge, who apparently falsified aspects of his CV when he claimed to have served as Chief Justice of Grenada.
No one needs to attack Patterson’s character personally, because everybody has the right to make money, as against integrity in declining an offer because of the implications on one’s reputation before arriving at a decision. Mr Patterson chose the first. He chose loyalty to the People’s National Congress and Mr Granger’s agenda when he decided to accept the offer, knowing fully well that a unilateral and unconstitutional decision was being made. He toed the line, and any PNCite would have done so.
Secondly, those who are peddling the notion that the nominees’ race was important are also part of the wider problem that has stalked this land for years. They are indeed racists themselves. It does not matter if Mr Jagdeo had only nominated yellow people for the job. He consulted with civil society, and those on the three lists emerged as the best. The fact remains that Jagdeo did nominate outstanding African and Mixed Guyanese who were fit and proper. The candidates’ ethnic makeup should not even be an issue, because that is a form of discrimination. Maybe President Granger should have been more open about his ethnic preferences to Jagdeo when they met, if he or his coalition had any. Also, those so called African lobbyist groups that sought to speak on behalf of all Afro-Guyanese here on the issue of Patterson’s appointment and its constitutionality should return to the dark hole from whence they came.
All Africans do not hate the PPP. All of them do not support Mr Granger or his decision to unilaterally appoint his 84-year-party comrade, because all Africans have not had bad experiences under the 23 years of PPP rule. The sporadic and sometimes politically driven talk about race discrimination aside, Africans led happier lives under PPP when compared to the PNC regime and the coalition’s stint so far. They must disabuse themselves of the notion that East Indians do not want to be ruled by Africans, because Governments should not ‘rule’ but govern impartially and justly. The fact that after slavery and indentureship they still fail to comprehend this is appalling. They should promote building trust, compromise, shared governance and national unity, and healing as well as reconciliation as answers to this country’s woes. They must be condemned for fanning the flames of racism. Guyanese will never again allow the racist demigods within those lobbyist groups who feature on the payrolls of the coalition and Government to divide them. Race has nothing to do with ethics in politics, and what is wrong or right constitutionally. They have done the President and his party a massive disservice by issuing that statement, because it appears that they have a certain agenda aimed at locking a particular face of people out of Government, so they can get revenge.
Thirdly, it is not surprising that the PPP has gone into non-cooperation mode. It is doing the right thing. At least it is not on the streets encouraging people to burn businesses and attack each other. It is behaving like a mature party in a functioning democracy. President Granger should know now that he killed every chance of achieving inclusivity and higher levels of political cooperation when he acted unilaterally in appointing a GECOM Chair. He knows the PPPs biggest fear stems from concerns about rigged elections, and he still showed callousness in his decision. Even if he wins the next election, the creditability of the process will be questioned by all and sundry. This is the time for ABC countries to speak up like they did when the PPP was in office, as opposed to sitting on the fence like they are doing now. They must, like civil society, pressure the President to rethink his decision and return to the table to negotiate with Mr Jagdeo so that a mutually suitable candidate could be had. This is no time for hard ball politics, because Guyanese people will be the ultimate losers in the end. It is time for a compromise. The truth is Mr Granger’s tenure has been disastrous so far. And the rubber stamp Prime Minister without a serious portfolio has aided and abetted the situation by not being independent and fighting for the people. It’s very unfortunate that most of the senior functionaries in the coalition are joining the campaign of hate and revenge against the PPP, and Bharrat Jagdeo in particular. Their efforts would be better suited fighting to reduce poverty and increase workers’ wages while boosting the economy. Guyanese will not be kind to this coalition in 2020 if this particular appointment is not rescinded.
