Analysis by Rickey Singh
WITH TWO weeks more to go before Guyanese vote at their fifth presidential and parliamentary elections since the restoration of internationally recognised free and fair elections in October 1992, neither of the governing PPP/C’s two primary opponents had released their respective manifestos for the November 28 poll at the time of writing yesterday. The incumbent PPPC did so some three weeks ago, having a clear advantage in marketing its significant achievements in various sectors of national life during four five-year terms in government, while both the PNCR and AFC continue to strategise over what policies and programmes really distinguish them in their quest to woo voters for a change in government.
The AFC has recently been signalling its intention to present more of an ‘Action Plan’ instead of a ‘manifesto’ in the traditional sense. For the August 2006 election, its first contest and with party leader, Raphael Trotman, as presidential hopeful, the party had offered, in the outlines of a manifesto, ‘A New Vision for Guyana’. It won five of the 65 parliamentary seats. Its presidential candidate for the 2011 poll is Khemraj Ramjattan.
It is not clear whether the recently-formed coalition of parties under the umbrella of APNU (A Partnership for National Unity), and led by presidential hopeful, David Granger, would be finally ready to release its manifesto this weekend.
At the 2006 national elections, the PNCR, under party leader and then second-chance presidential candidate, Robert Corbin, had produced a ‘move forward with Guyana’ manifesto with emphasis on “fostering of inclusion and good governance.” The party won 22 seats—six less than the previous poll battle.
As it was then, and now remains, the incumbent as well as its opponents are once more placing much focus on social cohesion and the broader dimension of national unity, conscious as they are of the lingering divisions that continue to be so challenging in courting the support of the diverse electorate.
At the 2006 poll, the incumbent PPP/C had secured 36 of the 65 parliamentary seats — a gain of two under the second-term leadership of now outgoing Head of State, Bharrat Jagdeo, while the party’s long-serving General Secretary, Donald Ramotar, is the new presidential candidate.
On Friday, the four contesting parties – PPP/C, APNU, AFC and The United Force (TUF) — eventually signed the Code of Conduct that was prepared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that requires commitment to the outlined principles to ensure responsible political behaviour for peaceful campaigning and voting on Election Day.
As the campaign intensifies, it is evident, from media reports, that the PPP/C’s opponents’ heavy focus on allegations of corruption and engaging in race-oriented issues are intended to blunt the patterns of social, economic and cultural progress that have distinguished the incumbent’s years in government, starting with the now late Dr Cheddi Jagan, then his widow, Janet, and for some 12 years the leadership offered by Jagdeo.
In addition to showcasing its impressive track record in social and economic gains –supported with verified data from the international financial institutions and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) — the incumbent PPP/C has been on the offensive in suggesting that for all their own claimed public differences, APNU (which it says is the old PNC in new clothing) and the AFC are secretly engaged in arrangements to form a coalition government with hopes of winning the coming poll.
The AFC’s ‘surprises’ of candidates include mainly Dr. VanWest Charles, formerly of the PNCR, a son-in-law of the late President Forbes Burnham’, as well as the PPP/C’s bitter defector, Moses Nagamootoo.
On APNU’s slate, its prime ministerial candidate, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine of the WPA, may in fact be a primary beneficiary of elections exposure more than a capacity to mobilise new voters for this party which, for all practical purposes, appears as a rebranded PNCR for the November 28 poll.
But there is also the ‘surprise’ of ex-Commissioner of Police, Winston Felix, as an APNU candidate and, consequently, more focus on crimes and violence of the past and controversies over his own competence and commitment in dealing with them at a very terrifying period for national security and national unity.
Now, ironically, Felix is being challenged by the former Crime Chief who succeeded him as Police Commissioner, Henry Greene, to substantiate, with evidence, that he (Greene) may have been involved in ‘bugging’ his office while he was attending a conference overseas.
Such a development, it is claimed, perhaps also facilitated the highly controversial tape-recorded telephone conversation that he (Felix) reportedly had with then PNCR parliamentarian, Basil Williams, at the height of the epidemic of gun-related murders and violent crimes.
An irate Greene, who has already explained that he was away from office at the time due to his illness, for which all details were available, has challenged Felix to come forward with specific evidence, including what then serving secretaries and others may have to say.
From latest indication, this challenge may prove even more problematic for Felix’s defence of his integrity than the responses from cabinet ministers who have dismissed as clearly false his claim — now as an APNU election candidate — that during his tenure as Commissioner, the Police Force was ‘starved’ for funding.
Welcome to some of the realities in the final fortnight of campaigning for Guyana’s 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections.