.jpg)
PULL QUOTE: ‘Guyana’s National Assembly now urgently needs some Enlightenment that will provide the modus operandi to construct a better Guyana, especially as there is a perception out there that irrationality, over-politicization, and a limited stock of knowledge consume its functioning’
GUYANA today can claim many ‘firsts’. Guyana has a minority government which is without precedence in this country. Guyana has a unicameral parliamentary system, that is, with one chamber. For the first time, the terms minority government and the combined opposition majority in the National Assembly occupy permanent spaces in the political lexicon of Guyana. These are two new terms in Guyanese political vocabulary, possibly not that new, because they appeared on the political scene since November/December 2011. But, in Guyana, the ordinary people, barring politicians, for the first time are experiencing this newness and may still be in awe of this novelty. Perhaps, I should say some politicians, as there may very well be other politicians who still wallow in, and may have become gullible to, this novelty. Also, it is another first, though not surprising, that the combined opposition would constantly outvote the minority government on its significant programmes in the National Assembly, gradually diluting the government’s policies, programs and projects. This National Assembly outcome may spell developmental stagnation for all Guyana in the weeks and months ahead, if that is already not the case. But, indeed, evolving toward an economic rut is not a first for Guyana. However, slowing down the pace toward economic stagnation may require some scientific liberation from the National Assembly gridlock.
The 18th Century Enlightenment philosophes introduced the notion of pursuing truths through science analogous to the natural sciences methods, where politicized and informed persons, through rational thinking, re-created a new society. Guyana’s National Assembly now urgently needs some Enlightenment that will provide the modus operandi to construct a better Guyana, especially as there is a perception out there that irrationality, over-politicization, and a limited stock of knowledge consume its functioning.
By definition, the combined opposition majority in the National Assembly wields power that in some cases may jeopardize the initiation and execution of the government’s programmes. This scenario also is true for the opposition’s agenda, where previously the government has had a majority in the National Assembly. Regrettably, this ‘power’ works only to the advantage of the opposition or government, whichever holds the majority in the National Assembly, because the parliamentary system is not bicameral to effect some mediation of the power between the government and the opposition. Among a myriad of solutions, a salient one may be to institute a second chamber in the parliamentary system; that is, establish a bicameral legislature to temper the deleterious ‘power’ outcomes.
A bicameral legislature is critical and a necessity in countries with diverse race, ethnic, and class interests. Great Britain has the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The U.S. has the House of Representatives and the Senate (together they constitute the Congress). Jamaica and Trinidad Tobago have the House of Representatives and the Senate. Barbados has the House of Assembly and the Senate. St. Lucia has the House of Assembly and the Senate. India has the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and the Rajya Sabha (Upper House). South Africa has the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. Canada has the Crown, the Senate, and the House of Commons.
Mediating ‘power’ outcomes is strategic to protect existing laws and enable the passing of parliamentary Bills. In recent years, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 37 times to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 (Obamacare) and failed because of the bicameral system. ‘Obamacare’ would have been repealed already if the U.S. Congress had a unicameral congressional system with only the House of Representatives. But the U.S. also has the Senate.
This notwithstanding, in both a unicameral and bicameral legislative system, a government with a minority is at the mercy of an opposition majority in parliament. Bulmer (2011) presented three ways in which a parliamentary majority could misuse its power: For instance, to constantly move away from the policy preferences of a government; to play up to a particular group of voters; and when a parliamentary majority behaves ill-advisedly, hurting the public good. Bulmer talked about the use of a minority-veto referendum to counter such misuses of power in a bicameral legislature. But the misuse of power by any parliamentary majority may be even more toxic in a unicameral legislature.
However, as Guyana contemplates the merits and defects of a bicameral legislature and/or other ways to end the National Assembly gridlock, in the interim, it is critical to temper the ‘power’ outcome in the National Assembly through aggressive uses of conference committees; committees quite distinct from the regular standing committees. Living with this gridlock will inevitably give Guyana a do-nothing National Assembly and economic stagnation.
GUYANA today can claim many ‘firsts’. Guyana has a minority government which is without precedence in this country. Guyana has a unicameral parliamentary system, that is, with one chamber. For the first time, the terms minority government and the combined opposition majority in the National Assembly occupy permanent spaces in the political lexicon of Guyana. These are two new terms in Guyanese political vocabulary, possibly not that new, because they appeared on the political scene since November/December 2011. But, in Guyana, the ordinary people, barring politicians, for the first time are experiencing this newness and may still be in awe of this novelty. Perhaps, I should say some politicians, as there may very well be other politicians who still wallow in, and may have become gullible to, this novelty. Also, it is another first, though not surprising, that the combined opposition would constantly outvote the minority government on its significant programmes in the National Assembly, gradually diluting the government’s policies, programs and projects. This National Assembly outcome may spell developmental stagnation for all Guyana in the weeks and months ahead, if that is already not the case. But, indeed, evolving toward an economic rut is not a first for Guyana. However, slowing down the pace toward economic stagnation may require some scientific liberation from the National Assembly gridlock.
The 18th Century Enlightenment philosophes introduced the notion of pursuing truths through science analogous to the natural sciences methods, where politicized and informed persons, through rational thinking, re-created a new society. Guyana’s National Assembly now urgently needs some Enlightenment that will provide the modus operandi to construct a better Guyana, especially as there is a perception out there that irrationality, over-politicization, and a limited stock of knowledge consume its functioning.
By definition, the combined opposition majority in the National Assembly wields power that in some cases may jeopardize the initiation and execution of the government’s programmes. This scenario also is true for the opposition’s agenda, where previously the government has had a majority in the National Assembly. Regrettably, this ‘power’ works only to the advantage of the opposition or government, whichever holds the majority in the National Assembly, because the parliamentary system is not bicameral to effect some mediation of the power between the government and the opposition. Among a myriad of solutions, a salient one may be to institute a second chamber in the parliamentary system; that is, establish a bicameral legislature to temper the deleterious ‘power’ outcomes.
A bicameral legislature is critical and a necessity in countries with diverse race, ethnic, and class interests. Great Britain has the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The U.S. has the House of Representatives and the Senate (together they constitute the Congress). Jamaica and Trinidad Tobago have the House of Representatives and the Senate. Barbados has the House of Assembly and the Senate. St. Lucia has the House of Assembly and the Senate. India has the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and the Rajya Sabha (Upper House). South Africa has the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. Canada has the Crown, the Senate, and the House of Commons.
Mediating ‘power’ outcomes is strategic to protect existing laws and enable the passing of parliamentary Bills. In recent years, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 37 times to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 (Obamacare) and failed because of the bicameral system. ‘Obamacare’ would have been repealed already if the U.S. Congress had a unicameral congressional system with only the House of Representatives. But the U.S. also has the Senate.
This notwithstanding, in both a unicameral and bicameral legislative system, a government with a minority is at the mercy of an opposition majority in parliament. Bulmer (2011) presented three ways in which a parliamentary majority could misuse its power: For instance, to constantly move away from the policy preferences of a government; to play up to a particular group of voters; and when a parliamentary majority behaves ill-advisedly, hurting the public good. Bulmer talked about the use of a minority-veto referendum to counter such misuses of power in a bicameral legislature. But the misuse of power by any parliamentary majority may be even more toxic in a unicameral legislature.
However, as Guyana contemplates the merits and defects of a bicameral legislature and/or other ways to end the National Assembly gridlock, in the interim, it is critical to temper the ‘power’ outcome in the National Assembly through aggressive uses of conference committees; committees quite distinct from the regular standing committees. Living with this gridlock will inevitably give Guyana a do-nothing National Assembly and economic stagnation.
