THE situation in Guyana is one with which all nations in the Region should be concerned. Guyana is an important trading partner. Trinidad and Tobago, for instance, exported an estimated $1.1B worth of products to the country over the period 2007 to 2010; and for that period, imported $596 million in products. Additionally, both governments have recently partnered on initiatives and incentives to reduce the food import bill and boost production, with plans to make large tracts of land in Guyana available to Trinidad and Tobago agriculturalists.
The announcement that Guyana’s President has prorogued the country’s Parliament has provoked strong reaction. President Donald Ramotar, 64, exercised his power under Article 70 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Guyana to issue a proclamation proroguing the Parliament. The Parliament will therefore not sit for a maximum of six months, though Ramotar said he hopes to hold a sitting before that time, if a consensus can be arrived at with Opposition parties.

The move came in the face of a no-confidence motion tabled by a coalition of Opposition parties, which would have been successful since those parties hold a slender one-seat majority in Guyana’s unicameral legislature.

Ramotar’s Government, erroneously perceived as Indo-Guyanese, was democratically established through a transparent election of November 11. The People’s Progressive Party holds 32 seats, while the opposition parties – including the Afro-Guyanese-tied People’s National Congress – holds 33. The President’s move was not altogether surprising, as on November 4, he had indicated that if the Opposition went forward with its motion, he would have either prorogued the Parliament or dissolved it, triggering a fresh election. An election is due in 2016.

In announcing his invocation of his powers under the law, Ramotar said, “… my decision to exercise this constitutional option was not taken lightly, but it was the sole recourse that was left to me to ensure that the life of the 10th Parliament was preserved.”

Ramotar said he made a “practical choice between an atmosphere of confrontation, as the no-confidence motion debate would have fuelled, or that of possible accommodation, as a prorogued Parliament can facilitate, if there is a genuine intent on all sides.”

There is merit in Ramotar’s reasoning, since in a highly-charged environment, which is fostered by political parties being perceived as operating along racial lines, any move that maximises stability and leaves room for developmental continuity is most welcome. The prorogation period has a limit and Ramotar has assured that if no consensus is reached within the mandated timeframe, he will hold an election. Such an election will, in any event, be inevitable, as the Government will be forced to reconvene parliament in order to pass a Budget.

While the Opposition parties have cried foul and have said the latest move is undemocratic, the reality is that it instead represents the valid exercise of a provision of the Constitution of this country which is, at the end of the day, always supreme. At the same time, Ramotar has recognized that he will be required, even though his latest move is well-intentioned, to seek resolution of the impasse through early elections.

In the meanwhile, the President has chosen an option in favour of a situation where there is a chance of consensus, as unlikely as that might be: and a remote chance is better than none.

Over recent years, the Guyanese economy has exhibited moderate economic growth. GDP has risen steadily, moving from US$5.9B in 2011 to US$6.5B in 2013. Still, the economy is heavily dependent upon the export of six commodities — sugar, gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber, and rice — which represent nearly 60 percent of the country’s GDP, and are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in commodity prices, such as the price of gold.

Inflation has been kept under control. Recent years have seen the Government’s stock of debt reduced significantly. But many chronic problems still exist; thus Guyana must exercise caution and calmness in this current terrain where a mature approach is needed to solving its problems – and a route to conflict-resolution must be adopted by all sides, respecting the law and balancing that with the need for expressions of the will of the electorate. To do otherwise will be an invitation to a return to the volatility that has characterised Guyana politics over the decades.

That this is a preferred route for the Opposition has been made pellucid by Opposition actions of the past; and their utterances that unabatedly appeal to the baser instincts of their supporters.

(Reprinted from Trinidad newsday)