RECENTLY, we have seen a plethora of political parties being formed. Almost to the point of national ridicule and comedic references, sighs and gasps of ‘another one’. While some have dismissed these democratic efforts as opportunistic and fraught with intricate plots by political parties to split the vote on either side, I dispute these conspiracy theories.

I am of the view that it is the manifestation of the blossoming of democracy under this government and the lack of concern about a vindictive state apparatus, a complete departure from what existed pre-2015. However, this is not the remit of this intervention. At the heart of this documentation is the addressing of the talk of these new parties sparking some revolution or transformation. This theorizing has struck me and being a student of history, I feel an academic obligation to go on the record with argumentation that pleads for caution against such reckless application of the concepts of revolution and transformation.

Revolution and Transformation
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Politics, revolution is defined as ‘the overthrow of an established order which involves the transfer of state power from one leadership to another and may involve a radical restructuring of social and economic relations’. Transformation is defined as a complete change in the appearance or character of something. In the Guyana political context, both definitions can be summed up as meaning a complete overhaul in the social, economic and political system with a complete change in the character of Guyanese politics.

With just five months to go before national elections, suggesting that small parties will achieve this is far-fetched at best. Even when buttressed by the argument that all we need is one seat, I still see this as fanciful. Firstly, Guyana is not a progressive society, traditional politics is entrenched. It will take catastrophic and cataclysmic forces of history to change this in five months. Secondly, while it is indeed possible to galvanize the people in a movement that brings sweeping change, you need pressing and attractive anti-establishment ideas to execute this. Ideas such as anti-corruption, anti-establishment fervor, a passionate fed-up of the system and most importantly, an economic crisis of sorts. The problem is, the regime has the most respected and incorruptible leaders in the form of the President and the Prime Minister, the regime is representative of change with its approach to coalition politics and Guyana is on the cusp of unprecedented economic boom. Those who seek to ignite revolution and transformation in five months, do not have key weapons that engender such upheaval. Quite to the contrary, these factors are on the side of the regime. In the words of the shrewd political strategist, Napoleon Bonaparte, ‘the pear is not ripe’.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A POLITICAL PARTY AND A POLITICAL MOVEMENT
In treating the main thrust of this discourse, it is necessary to highlight the important difference between a political party and a political movement in the context of revolution and transformation. A political party has a membership, structure and a predictable format with a clear leadership structure. A political movement is often a massive uniting of the masses under the umbrella of a sweeping national issue with no clear leadership and diverse interests, heavily fortified by a cause that results in the certain defeat of a regime. The formation of a political party cannot take a country to this place, the political party is a mere vehicle through which these historical developments journey. Political parties cannot twist the arm of history and historical movements. These movements are driven by social, economic and political facts that are organic and emerge from the groundswell of public opinion. I am not a fan of Thomas Carlyle’s great man theory which argues history is driven by men. I am firmly in the Herbert spencer camp, ‘attributing historical events to the decisions of individuals is an unscientific position, ‘great men’ are merely products of their social environment.

Conclusion
It is for the reasons argued above, caution needs to be applied to the usage of the words revolution and transformation as it relates to Guyana’s current political context 5 months away from elections by individuals and new formed political parties.