THE APNU+AFC, from all indications, seems bent on pursuing a confrontational path of politics in the country. What is even more disturbing is the fact that such a form of politics is based on lies, deception and half-truths, which bear little, if any, semblance to objective reality.

After having failed to return itself to power by undemocratic means in the 2020 General and Regional Elections, it is continuing to peddle a false narrative of being “cheated” out of office despite the fact that all local and international observers including CARICOM observers, have pronounced that the elections were free, fair and credible.

Based on such an approach, the APNU+AFC is finding fault with everyone and everything that is opposed to its baseless and preposterous claims. No one is spared the “wrath” of the APNU+AFC coalition. The Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Judge, Justice Claudette Singh, is now the subject of daily protest actions and there are calls for her to go, even though she was appointed by former APNU+AFC President, David Granger.

It would seem that insofar as the APNU+AFC is concerned, the only acceptable way is its way or, the proverbial highway. Needless to state, such an attitude makes it difficult for any form of meaningful engagement with the political opposition. Its recent walk-out from parliament after a motion on the voters’ list was disallowed by the Speaker is yet another testimony of such disruptive political behaviour.

Such behaviour is certainly unwarranted and also not in the best interest of the people whom the coalition purportedly claims to represent in the National Assembly.

This is, in effect, an important abdication of its duty as important bills were slated for discussion, including constitutioal reform, suicide prevention and criminal justice reform bills.

The opposition, according to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Ms Gail Teixeira, is becoming more and more irrelevant.

“Walking out of parliament when these major issues are before the House is indicative they really more and more are becoming irrelevant, in that they are not prepared to stand up in the House and be able to defend their positions” Ms Teixeira lamented.

Politics, it is said, is the art of the possible. What the APNU+AFC is attempting to do is to seek to bend the arc of parliamentary norms and procedures to facilitate a process of partisan self-interest and one that seemingly fits into its false narrative of a “bloated voters’ list.” The fact that the list is being updated on a regular basis through the continuous registration mechanism appears to be of no consequence to the political opposition.

The APNU+AFC coalition appears incapable of coming to terms with a basic reality, namely, that it is no longer possible to obtain power by undemocratic means as it did for 28 years during the 1968-1992 period. It is simply not helping its own by its refusal to participate in the work of important bodies, including that of the National Assembly, which is the supreme decision-making body in the country.

Meanwhile, the PPP/C administration is pushing ahead with the issue of constitutional reform and the House, at its most recent sitting, has given the green light with passage of the Constitution Reform Commission Bill, 2022. The political opposition, true to form, has failed to offer any contribution to the Bill, both at the parliamentary committee level and during the debate on the Bill, as the entire main opposition walked out of the National Assembly before the Bill was debated.

The refusal of the APNU+AFC to participate in discussions on the way forward as it pertains to the issue of constitutional reform speaks to a degree of political immaturity and their commitment to the important task of governance in the country.

What the country needs now more than ever at this conjuncture in time is the politics of consensus and reconciliation along the lines of the One Guyana vision as articulated by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The current mode of adversarial politics practised by the APNU +AFC coalition is not only unfortunate but dysfunctional to the process of national unity and reconciliation set in motion by the PPP/C administration.