IT borders on political blasphemy, to say the least, that religious lineage in Guyana, including known persons and entities, arisen from a comatose state, and has entered the annals of Guyanese’s politics at this late stage, bemoans the legal and constitutional action of President Ramotar as the primordial detonation that punctured democracy as they see it. 

To the contrary, President Ramotar must be applauded for his foresight in safeguarding and rescuing Guyana’s fledgling democracy, through the instrument of prorogation of Parliament from the cabals of the minority exploits for their own political means.
It is within the discretion of the Guyanese President to invoke any constitutional provisions as he sees fit. That is not debatable. It is not unconstitutional; it is not undemocratic. To say that the prorogation instrument embedded in the constitution is not meant to be evoked, purported by Speaker Trotman, is political asinine, and an illogical reasoning to surmise.
The action that necessitated the presidential decree is keeping with tradition of the President’s political party in safeguarding and championing the cause for democratic, social and economic justice long before any religious entity was vocal against the naked exploitation of the Guyanese people. Proroguing Parliament was just an extension of that steadfast commitment.
The political mandate has been the President’s even with a new dispensation. The facts are indisputable. Since 1992, the President’s political party has repeatedly been anointed by the moral majority of the electorate to hold the reigns of political power and they should be granted that opportunity to govern uninterrupted.
Conveniently, since the dawn of the 2011 General Elections, political deviance has been the cornerstone of the Opposition. Chiefly the People’s National Congress, (PNC) which has become the political midwife for the Alliance For Change (AFC), as a combined Opposition, sought to function outside the parameters of Parliament in the sole interest of deposing the ruling party. It is ironic that the Opposition now mourns for Parliament as a stage to raise their black flag of fear.
Failed at their own planned political deviance to cease power, the Opposition now seeks to usher in their brand of backdoor politics, through employing a strategic vote of no confidence. Under the disguise of being guardian of the treasury, and illegal spending, they plot a course of constitutional assault and got juggernaut back into political barracks.
Why prorogue now? The President’s political foresight recognised the urgency of now, placing the nation’s interest over individual and party’s interest, and acted decisively by proroguing Parliament to halt the unwarranted Opposition’s orgy of obstacles from further disenfranchising the moral majority party from exercising its political mandate to govern; stemmed the tide against economic development retardation; and in so doing, the President also stopped the planned abortion of democratic values and principles. All within the confines of the authority granted.
Perception is not reality. The Opposition’s sermon of political hypochondria is a cocktail of innuendoes. Personal liberties have not been abrogated; the moral majority party, coupled with a prorogued Parliament extension, continues to guarantee the rights of the people; personal freedoms have been safeguarded; democratic institutions still enjoy freedoms; the media speak without restraints; the Opposition roams without infringements; thus, prorogation has rescued the nation.
In a democracy, the role of religious entities is indispensible. However, the church in recent times has drifted into silent abstinence. Thus, the church’s sermon, for the most part, can be viewed as disingenuous at this junction. The bigger questions that beg to be asked of the church, where were their concerns for social and economic justice when the whirlwind of anti- democratic forces unleashed their political brimstones and arrested Guyana’s economic development that would bring about greater social and economic benefits for the masses?
Where was the church’s eloquence of pronouncement when the Opposition choked the financial lifelines for economic developmental projects, and deprived the Guyanese people of the opportunity to elevate their standard of living?
Furthermore, it would have been a confession of epic proportion if the church had publicly pronounced its concerns for the political and economic sabotage against the Guyanese people and their moral majority government. These were the daily bread fed to the Guyanese people by a spiteful Opposition.
Of equal significance, it would have even been a breath of fresh air if the church had publicly expressed its abhorrence against sexual exploitation of children, and sympathised with Mr. Welshman’s plight. For him the bell never tolled.
Rather, he had his democratic rights stripped of him as was his innocent, by powerful politicians; denied the opportunity to share his story of sexual exploits by having his democratic rights extinguished by a gag order to silence his cry for justice.
These and other pertinent issues the church has been silent on. It appears that certain issues have been ascended into political heaven for eternal hibernation, not destined for resurrection.
President Ramotar recognised the urgency of now- acted decisively to stem the tide to subvert the will of the electorate. He acted in the sole interest of the nation, given priority to issues of greater importance, and acted within the parameters of the powers and authority granted. Our personal grievance about the constitutional instrument is not the issue. Does the President have the right to evoke such a provision? The answer is a resounding yes! Democracy has been rescued not aborted.

Faiuze Ali