I congratulate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on her victory in our sister CARICOM island state, Trinidad and Tobago and the successful coalition movement which resulted in the newly formed party the People’s Partnership Coalition.
I know many are excited at the prospect of a similar occurrence in Guyana but given the political and social climate in this country that is near to impossible.  Firstly, let us examine the two main political parties, the People’s Progressive Party Civic and the People’s National Congress Reform; they are mainly supported by the two prominent ethnic groups, Africans and Indians.
Race voting is inherent in this country and while both parties have managed to garner votes from both races, it is not so significant as to signify even an almost perfect cohesion of the races.  What the world witnessed in the United States of America and Trinidad and Tobago is indeed special and Guyana should rightly take a cue from these two examples.
However, when this is considered I would hope that the powers that be and the people that are clamouring for a similar development here in Guyana take into account that we need to first examine our electoral system which is vastly different from those two countries.  Secondly, Guyana’s demographic is not as similar to Trinidad’s as many would have us believe.
In Guyana East Indians represent 43.5% of the population and African 30.2% while T&T is represented by Indians 40% and Africans 37.5%.  The gaps between those numbers are not insignificant and should not be as readily dismissed as they are by some.
There is inherent distrust on both sides of the political field, whether warranted or not, and the only way this can be bridged is through a system that is truly for the people and about the people.