For centuries, political parties across the globe have lived and died natural deaths before making way for newer political units and agents to try their ‘luck’ at reforming and rebuilding the societies that they inhabit, with the hope of achieving higher levels of unity, inclusivity, development and peace.
Others have mastered the art of avoiding political death and irrelevance by constantly recreating and reforming themselves to meet the changing times and demands of the people that they yearn to serve. Most parties have failed in this respect because of their inability to understand that the people cannot be fooled all the time, and after a while, people develop the keen ability to decipher whether the principals at the helm of these political institutions are genuine in their desire to change the type of offensive or partisan politics they have practised in the past, or even some of the politically damaged principals who themselves are being rejected by the electorate for some reason or the other.
In the South American and Caribbean region, few political parties have survived the storm of political change brought on directly by a more informed society that is less tolerant of bureaucratic inertia, the abuse of executive power, the practice of divisive politics, the selective disregard for the rule of law, the wastage of tax payers’ funds, and the practise of dishonestly and political immorality.
The citizens — as a direct result of the modern highway of information available to them at the click of a finger, and sometimes because of the partisan agenda of the traditional media — have no appetite or stomach for political parties whom they perceive as interested in governing to enrich themselves and their members whilst every other section of the society is left to fight for the crumbs remaining from an already small pie.
The truth is that some parties that fail to understand the impact of the media and the power of misinformation often find themselves struggling to survive, even though they might have performed well at previous electoral polls, or possess a very impressive track record of running administrations and transforming the socio-economic affairs of a country. They somehow still end up being defeated by dishonest political rhetoric and media reports, as well as manufactured controversies — that stick in the minds of the people because they go unchallenged, or are not dealt with properly at the time.
The PPP is such a party; and instead of just dying a natural political death, the party must pursue new life if it ever wants to regain power and the trust of thousands of people, which it once had under the stewardship that obtained in the early 1990s and 2000s.
While the party appears to have commenced the process belatedly, having lost the recent elections, it is still not making the decisions which could see its full-circle transformation, and by extension increase in electoral appeal. Pushing Bharrat Jagdeo to the front is only one tiny step in the process of crafting a majority victory at the next elections. The party must do away with some of the relics that are harming its integrity. It is still too hesitant to take bold reforms. Freedom House must be shaken up in every region, and people who have the confidence of their peers in the region must be pushed to the front.
Also, the party must restart robust fundraising exercises, to build capital which can and must be invested in a massive media campaign to rebuild its image. This campaign must be focused on further exposing the secrets and shortcomings of the David Granger Administration. Mr Jagdeo and all of his MPs must become more accessible to the partisan or anti-PPP media, as a means of offering balance to the often skewed headlines that adorn their front pages daily.
The party is still shying away from diving into the coalition’s strongholds by holding public meetings and walkabouts, even if its members are embarrassed or rejected by some of the people there. It is not good enough for PPP MPs to take on the Government in Parliament; they must go to every community where residents have been neglected and highlight the woes of the people. The party is still being very selective in this respect, and it is not good strategy for its members to keep on behaving as if the party is still in Government.
Perhaps the most profound weakness of the PPP is its inability to attract, retain, and genuinely trust Afro-Guyanese leaders who are very vocal, aggressive, and passionate about representing their constituencies. This does not mean that any other grouping or ethnic group must be sidelined or marginalized, but there is enough reason to believe that the PPP would command more respect if it had more Afro-Guyanese leaders who were not tokens, but people who could easily command the respect of diehard PNC/AFC/APNU supporters. Mr Jagdeo must seek them out, as they may be the key to regaining and retaining power in a new Guyana. The PPP must become the mythological phoenix on a pyre.
