ELECTIONS are a period when the people evaluate their social contract with the government as they make known their expectations of whom they want to lead them.Of course, given our electoral system, the party with the most votes will obtain the presidency but will need a majority to also wield control in the Parliament, which is vital to advance its developmental and legislative agenda.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) would be hoping for better fortunes this time around now that the date for elections has been set for May 11.

While there have been some reservations on the date given that it clashes with the date for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations and the Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), these are issues that can be fixed through planning and adjustment of activities.

An equally important or probably more salient matter is the need to maintain the peace and ensure that the upward trajectory of development continues. Elections in Guyana, as in some democracies the world over, have been marked by protests and other forms of social unrest, but quite strikingly, the past two elections have been peaceful compared to those going back to the year 1992.

No single political party, but rather all that contested to govern the Republic of Guyana, are deserving of high praise for maintaining the peace, and most naturally, the vast majority of the citizenry will be hoping that this trend is maintained.

From the point of view of the business community, peace and political stability are vital to attracting and building investors’ confidence in the economy, and undoubtedly, all the parties which would be contesting the Regional and General Elections, namely the PPP, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) would want to see Guyana in a positive light.

For this reason, it is imperative that in their bid to rally their supporters to gain the highest offices in the land that they also articulate the need for maintaining unity in diversity.

This is important because Guyana is dominated by two major ethnic groups: East Indians and Africans, and elections have been known to be a period where old wounds are aggravated and new injuries are sustained.

Politicians of the different political establishments have to be mindful of these sensitive matters and focus more on the merits of their policies and the demerits of the plans of those whom they oppose.

The early elections can be conducted in a healthy political atmosphere but it would require both their political leaders and supporters to demonstrate patriotism over zeal.
With four months away from ‘E’ Day, it cannot be overstated that the leaders of the various political parties must pay heed to ethnic sensitivities, the unity of the people and to ensure that their actions do not conflict with the continuation of development of Guyana.

Business must continue and businesspersons should be less in the wait-and-see mode, major infrastructure projects should not come to a halt and political differences should not translate into protests and violence as had happened in the past.

After all, the electorate wants to see an environment conducive for the creation and expansion of business, which is vital for job creation and sustained growth of the economy.

Guyana had enjoyed consecutive years of economic growth, a highly sustainable balance of payment, a debt that is manageable, low interest rates, declining inflation and single digit increase in prices.

Its economic performance has been recognised by several leading institutions monitoring development in the Region including the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In the evaluation of their social contract with the government, the electorate should take into consideration these achievements as they look forward for a peaceful and progressive development of Guyana.