TWO recent developments have demonstrated that democracy in Guyana is not only alive and kicking but also becoming increasingly consolidated. This strengthening and consolidation of our democracy augurs well for the upward trajectory of our economic and social life, which has now entered a new and exciting phase following the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities.

The first of these two recent developments is the recent ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the Court of Appeal in Guyana does not have jurisdiction to hear an appeal filed against the decision of Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, S.C., to dismiss the APNU+AFC supported elections petition.

The CCJ, which is the country’s final court of appeal, ruled in favour of an application filed by Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall, S.C. and Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, in his capacity as General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party.

The ruling by the CCJ is yet another blow to the APNU+AFC coalition which is seeking to challenge the results of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional elections, which was declared in favour of the PPP/C by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

This is not the first time that decisions taken by the courts in Guyana were overturned by the CCJ. Guyanese are all too familiar with the no-confidence vote which went all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice after the APNU+AFC sought to use the local courts to justify its baseless challenge that 33 does not constitute more than half of the 65-seat membership in the National Assembly!

Other hallmark decisions include a ruling by the CCJ that then-President David Granger acted in breach of the Constitution when he sought to unilaterally appoint Retired Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.

Several other important decisions were also made regarding the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, which caused several to wonder as to the likely outcome of the elections, and for that matter, the entire constitutional and governance landscape in Guyana were it not for the fact CCJ is now our highest and final court.

The other matter of significance from a governance perspective is the announcement by the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, that Local Government Elections will be held on March 13, 2023.

The announcement of a date for the elections which were delayed due to the obstructionist tactics of the political opposition, has now placed both parties to the coalition in a dilemma as to whether they will participate in the elections, and if so, whether they will go alone or in partnership.

All of the 10 towns and 70 Neighborhood Democratic Councils NDCs) will be required to face the polls on March 13 next year. The decision to hold the elections were made by the minister after the GECOM indicated its readiness to conduct the polls within a specified window of time.

The fact is that both of the opposition parties are literally afraid of facing the electorate whether as a coalition or in their individual capacities.
The AFC, in particular, is noticeably elections-shy no doubt due to its past dismal performance when it barely managed to scrape a few seats at the NDC level. Now that the party is apparently in a much weaker position, the political stakes are much higher as the party run the risk of being wiped out completely in terms of regional representation. Going alone will mean that it could no longer hide under the fig-leaf of the APNU+AFC coalition and in the process mask its likely underperformance at the polls.

The opposition PNC is also challenged to recover from its relatively poor electoral showing. During its 28 years of authoritarian rule, local elections were held only once in 1970 and it was only through massive electoral fraud that it managed to hold on to power at the local elections. The PPP/C, on the other hand, have made significant inroads in what was once perceived as PNC strongholds including Linden and Georgetown.

The political dispensation has since changed and the PNC is no longer in a position to, as it were, call the political shots in its favour. The announcement of a date for Local Government Elections by Minister Dharamlall is a step in the right direction and will serve to further consolidate democracy and democratic rule at the grassroots level.

The PNC seems bent on pursuing a path of misleading its supporters and feeding them a false narrative of being cheated out of power when the facts prove otherwise. Meanwhile, preparations are put in place for the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the events surrounding the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. One could only hope that the findings of the Commission would put to rest some of the lingering, even though unfounded allegations made by the opposition PNC.