Guyana can continue advancing with minority government
– Teixeira
A MINORITY government, while unique to Guyana, is common in advanced democracies around the world and this country’s advance can continue with all stakeholders working together, Presidential Advisor on Governance, Ms. Gail Teixeira posited yesterday. “Minority governments are not unique in advanced democracies in the Commonwealth countries and around the world and we can learn from their lessons and continue this country’s advance,” she maintained.
The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) secured 32 seats in the National Assembly, four less than in the 2006 elections, making it a minority government.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) won 26 seats and the Alliance For Change (AFC) secured seven, leaving the Opposition with the majority in the Parliament.
The PPP/C won 48.6 per cent of the votes, APNU 40.8 per cent and AFC 10.3 per cent, while The United Force (TUF) only got a 0.2 per cent.
Teixeira said the PPP/C’s win is indisputable and stakeholders must work together to ensure that the many gains since 1992 are not reversed.
She called on all the political parties to act responsibly, so that the work of nation-building can continue.
‘The government is still the government and the work of nation building and bringing goods and services to the Guyanese people must continue,” Teixeira emphasised.
APNU has requested a reconciliation of the Statements of Poll (SOPs), a request that has since been dismissed by the Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Gocool Boodoo.
APNU is, reportedly, not calling for a recount, rather a reconciliation of the SOPs, which is the sole legal basis on which the declaration of a winner must be based.
On Thursday evening, thousands of APNU supporters made their way from Congress Place, Sophia, to the Public Buildings, Stabroek, while the presidential candidates and other political stakeholders were meeting inside.

Peaceful protest
Yesterday, hundreds more gathered at Square of the Revolution where the APNU leader, Brigadier (ret’d) David Granger urged a peaceful protest.
Leaving the Square, the mass thronged the streets of Georgetown towards the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) head office,  in Kingston, to register their protest at the results of the 2011 polls.
Teixeira encouraged Guyana’s leaders to continue looking at the economic well-being of the country in order to improve the quality of life for all Guyanese.
She said Guyana has come a long way and that the fight, over decades past, has finally seen the realisation of national unity.
Teixeira observed that, had the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan been alive, he would have been proud of the nation Guyana has become, of the Guyanese people and of the PPP/C, as he had always fought for national unity.
However, she remarked that Guyana is now faced with a new dimension of democracy and must continue to move forward.
Teixeira argued that politicians need to recognise that, for the first time, Guyana has a minority government and understand that this is a new dimension of the political arena.
“Parliamentary parties need to recognise that this is a new setting and work together in the interest of the Guyanese people, in the interest of moving Guyana forward,” she said.
The downside of a minority government is a hung parliament, which means that no political party has an overall majority  in it and where no party has won enough seats to control it and formation of the government may be affected.
This could severely impact the continued progress of a country, in light of the fact that key legislation must be brought to the National Assembly before a certain time, such as the National Budget by the end of April 2012
Teixeira stressed that the nation’s interest must be the priority and that there must be no reversal of the successes that Guyana boasts.
She challenged the Opposition to support the Government in the reconstruction of Guyana, rather than take anti-nationalist and unpatriotic stances.
“One of the challenges we face is how to build a level of trust and confidence at various levels of society, including within the Government and the Opposition. We have started to turn that around…it will require more work, consistent work and dedicated work,” Teixeira said.