ON Sunday last we editorialised on the call from several quarters for our political leaders to consider the urgent need for a National Unity Government as one possible way to bring our country together in the wake of the ongoing dispute over the results of the recently concluded elections.

We lent our voice to what we view as a most reasonable proposal, one that has been put on the table as far back as 1961. We observed that the APNU+AFC Coalition, both as a partnership and at the level of its individual member parties, have expressed openness to the idea. In fact, it has been a central plank of the APNU and the Coalition’s platform since the 2011 elections.

It stands to reason, therefore, that if the PPP were to sign on to the idea, we could move closer to some form of National Reconciliation. However, since the publication of that editorial, to the dismay of many, the PPP by way of an official statement and via comments by its leader, has all but closed the door on such a possibility. In effect, the party has made it abundantly clear that it is not interested in a national solution to the current impasse or to the larger divisions that, many have argued, are at the root of the latter. It has also signaled that it is stubbornly wedded to the winner-takes-all approach to governance which, in Guyana’s circumstances, has had negative consequences for sustained national cohesion. It is, of course, no secret that at the bottom of it all is our ethno-political divide which has persisted despite many attempts at containment. The PPP is arguing that the suggestion of a national unity government is an attempt to rob it of the victory which it continues to claim since March 2 despite evidence to the contrary. This stance is being directly and indirectly aided by sections of the international community and their observers who have prematurely signaled a “winner”. In addition, several prominent Guyanese have allowed their names to be used in that regard under the guise of defending democracy. The impact of these pronouncements is the potential empowering of one side of the political divide and isolation of the other side with scant regard for the consequences.

The PPP is obviously taking advantage of this situation and feels emboldened to reject calls for reconciliation and national unity. It is hiding behind that shortsighted and unfounded rhetoric of a rigged election. We humbly suggest that the failure to take a broader and more nuanced attitude to the events since March 2, could have negative consequences for the cohesion of our country. Those who today refuse to grasp the complexity of the situation would have to bear some of the responsibility. Already, it is obvious that they have helped to create an out-of-control PPP which is pursuing a strategy of domination or mayhem. The truth is that the PPP has historically played games with national unity. It is worth recalling that party’s opportunistic attitude to national unity over the years. When Eusi Kwayana proposed Joint Premiership between the leaders of the PPP and PNC in 1961, the PPP flatly rejected it.

However, when, two years later, the party sensed that power was slipping away, thanks to the change from the First-past the Post to Proportional Representation system, it made an about-turn and proposed a power-sharing formulae. A decade and a half later, at the prompting of the Internal Communist Movement, it again proposed a power-sharing arrangement which was rejected by the PNC. Such proposal was again embraced in 1985 as the party reasoned that Guyana needed a common national front against imperialism. However, once the PPP secured power in 1992, its rhetoric and attitude to national unity changed. It contended that the PPP represented national unity and that in any case it needed to build trust with the PNC before agreeing to power sharing. This position has been hardened since Jagdeo took hold of the party following the passing of the Jagans.

Guyanese and the international community must realise that the PPP is simply not interested in a national solution. It is a national tragedy, for it ensures that Guyana remains on the brink of instability. As the country embarks on a path of development thanks to the expected oil and gas wealth, it cannot succeed as a divided nation. We therefore urge all those influential voices which have spoken about the elections to also lift their voices in support of national unity and urge the PPP to come to the table. We make a similar plea to the international community to do the same. The very democracy which they purport to support is being undermined by the PPP’s embrace of one-party domination at the expense of a democracy that is grounded in the multi-ethnic and plural nature of the country.