CIVIL society has an important role to play in the governance processes of the country. It is made up of individuals, groups and organisations who are expected to work in collaboration with the government to promote the interests of the broader society, but operate outside of the government. Civil society organisations are expected to promote the national good, and as such, should not be motivated by profit or favours from government.

The PPP/C administration has always recognised civil society as a way of involving people in the governance process. President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, however, recently had cause to respond to some unfounded claims made by a ’civil society’ grouping which accused the government of ‘being out of control’ and ‘lacking transparency and accountability.’

These allegations are not only baseless but politically motivated, which run counter to the norms and expectations of any responsible civil society organisation which has the public interest in mind.

According to President Ali, the allegations are ridiculous, unfounded, baseless and politically motivated. He emphasised the point that every single project his administration is pursuing is in the public domain and for the most part is approved by Parliament and can withstand public scrutiny.

“We have established a clear vision for the transformation of our country, we have established a clear vision for the economic development of our country, but it is clear that there are some organisations that are convenient with the truth and are political in nature and they cannot help themselves and their political bias and I do not have an issue if these organisations have a political bias or a political agenda, but they must not hide under the cloak of independence,” he said.

Sadly, there are some people in our society who are so prejudiced that they cannot see any good project implemented by the PPP/C administration. They would find fault in almost everything the government does, no matter how beneficial these are to the overall good of the society.

As correctly observed by President Ali, “The PPP/C government is moving at a rapid pace to fulfil its manifesto promise to the Guyanese people and its role and agenda in Guyana and the Region are focused on the upliftment of Guyana and the Guyanese people and the repositioning of Guyana as a country of integrity, democracy and the rule of law as the basis on which decisions are made and the development of the country is advanced.”

Interestingly, many of the organisations that are now accusing the PPP/C administration of lack of transparency and accountability were silent during the attempts by forces aligned to the then APNU+AFC regime to rig the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. To now speak about lack of transparency at a time when the country is on the road to rapid transformation and modernisation rings hollow and smacks of a fair degree of hypocrisy and political bias.

No wonder a number of non-governmental and civil society groups have distanced themselves from the allegations made, and have expressed in clear language that they have not endorsed the statement made. The transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) and the Ursuline Sisters have both disassociated themselves from allegations made, even as they were listed as ‘endorsing’ the claims made in the release by the NGOs grouping. Several other organisations listed as having ‘endorsed’ the statement, such as the Guyana Society for the Blind and several Amerindian leaders from several  communities have disassociated themselves from the statement on the basis that it did not fairly and accurately represent the views of its members.

The fact is that the PPP/C has been elected in free and fair elections by a clear majority of the votes and therefore has a mandate from the Guyanese electorate to govern in their best interests. And that is exactly what President Ali and his PPP/C administration has been doing since gaining power on August 2020. Never before in Guyana’s history has so much development taken place within such a short span of time, and in keeping with the manifesto promises made to the people. The PPP/C administration is accountable to the Guyanese people and has a duty and responsibility to deliver on its promises, unlike those civil society organisations, some of which are without constituency representation.

This is not to suggest that the PPP/C administration is beyond criticism or is intolerant of criticisms, especially those that are constructive and done with the national good in mind. In fact, President Ali has repeatedly said that he welcomes criticism of his administration, but it must be done fairly and objectively and not in a way to score cheap political points.

The truth is that the PPP/C has always embraced a consultative and open approach to development, one in which the views and opinions of all stakeholders are taken into account. This was manifested in the consultative manner in which the national budget was crafted with significant inputs from stakeholders, including the private sector, labour and other civil society groups. The same was true with the recent enactment of the Local Content Bill and the members of the National Resource Fund (NRF) management board. As an indication of its commitment to work in partnership with civil society, the PPP in 1992 embraced a civil society component and has since contested all national and regional elections under the PPP/Civic arrangement. This is unlike the other main political party the PNC, which ‘morphed’ into several political mutations and currently contested elections as the APNU+AFC.

President Ali in his address to the nation on the occasion of the country’s 52nd Republic Anniversary, while advancing his One Guyana vision, was also highly critical of individuals and groups in political and civic circles who seek to sabotage efforts towards a politically and socially unified Guyana. The President said that his administration welcomes constructive criticisms that are geared towards advancing Guyana as a society. Criticisms, he said, must not violate the principles of healthy debates and exchange of views which would allow for critical examination of policies, programmes, initiatives and plans. These discussions, President Ali said, must not be based on selfish agendas, bias, perception, propaganda and feelings. Instead, they must be firmly rooted in facts and a pragmatic understanding of what is required in this rapidly developing Guyana.