The work of the Constitutional Reform Committee

Dear Editor,
The Constitutional Reform Committee has been duly elected and sworn-in to office, and its members are soon to begin work at updating, remodelling, or whatever the terminology one would like to use, the Laws of Guyana.
As is expected, PNC point man Vincent Alexander is posturing about having a change to the entire Electoral Laws used by our country, among other such matters as power sharing.
Here Vincent Alexander is seeking another platform where he can posture and seek ways in which he can dismantle or simply throw away the Constitution and throw it into a tailspin.
That, however, is not going to happen; the work of the Constitutional Reform Commission is to modernize and strengthen the existing Laws of Guyana, the emphasis being on reforming the system.
But to be blunt here, I must inform Mr. Alexander that he is not in charge, and there shall be no major change to the Guyana Constitution as it relates to the electoral system presently in use. Our Proportional Representation (PR) system has served us well these years, and there is no need to go back to the Constituency System (CS). So, I would kindly ask the PNC Representative not to put his hopes too high.
In the first place, Alexander needs to remind himself that the Constituency System he is advocating has serious implications. It is very brutal and exact when it comes to Opposition parties, and that system of voting can completely wipe out an Opposition with just a single vote. Alexander should be well aware of this fact; you just have to take a look at Barbados and Grenada, where a full manifestation of this is unfolding.
Another fact that should be a stark reality to Alexander is that our own LGE has in it a constituency clause that allows for the election of the most popular candidate. In the last LGE, the PNC got a drubbing in most of the constituencies they contested. This should have taught him a good lesson not to tread that route.
So, ask me why Alexander may want us to go back to a total constituency system, and the answer is that he would like us to be embroiled in turmoil whenever the results are announced. The 1997 elections have shown us just what the PNC is all about: they create a situation which, in the end, they rile against. We will not allow this to happen again.
The point I am making is that the PNC are sore losers. They make laws, then simply turn again and break them, shouting fraud at the top of their lungs. Picture the PNC in 2020, when they lost by over 15,000 votes, and then vehemently rejected the results. So, what makes you think that they would accept a loss by a single vote in a constituency system? And the answer comes again: they simply would not!
Finally, we come to the power-sharing dogma which Alexander has conveniently resurrected. Here, again, this party is holding out a bullying stance that whoever wins in elections, that party must make way for them. It is a situation of if you win then you win, but if you lose you still win; and they go about this with great belligerence.
I subscribe to the system the PPP/C uses. They make room for crossovers, and accommodate them in areas where they can make a meaningful contribution to society. Therefore, my call goes out to members of the Opposition who are conscientious and willing to put country first: come take your place in The One Guyana Team, there is work for you to do.

Respectfully,
Neil Adams