GENERAL Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo in a recent press conference underscored the need for higher levels of inclusive and participatory governance. According to Dr. Jagdeo, the records will show that any meaningful attempts at forging inclusive governance was initiated by the PPP.
In fact, the PPP General Secretary issued a call for a comprehensive analysis of past efforts at power sharing in Guyana and the importance of a balanced conversation on the issue. Make no mistake about it. The vast majority of Guyanese across the political and ethnic spectrum in Guyana would like to live in a society in which there is peace, ethnic harmony and national reconciliation. It is precisely out of this recognition that the One Guyana vision envisaged by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali is born.

At his recent press conference, Dr. Jagdeo highlighted the history of the PPP/C’s engagement with power-sharing initiatives and constitutional reforms which, he said, cannot be overlooked in discussions on governance.
Discussions on shared governance are not of recent vintage. It is instructive to recall that way back in the troubled 60’s the PPP put forward a proposal of shared governance on near parity terms even though the PPP had won the 1961 elections with a significant majority of the parliamentary seats. That offer was however rejected by the PNC which opted instead to team up with the right-wing United Force in the aftermath of the 1964 elections.

The rest is now history as the United Force was kicked out of the coalition a mere three years later. The PNC then rigged all national elections since 1968 until democratic elections were held on October 5, 1992 after close to three decades of undemocratic rule.
Even when in opposition, the PPP never gave up on the principles of shared governance and came up with a number of initiatives including the formation of a government of national unity or what was then referred to as a National Front Government. The PNC again rejected the proposal on the spurious ground that the PPP was a ‘Menshevik’ (minority) party and the PNC a Bolshevik (majority) party and therefore could not negotiate on equal terms!

These actions on the part of the PNC have left a bitter imprint on the national consciousness. At a more fundamental level, it had served to further polarise the society along ethnic and political lines. Be that as it may, the search for higher levels of inclusivity and participatory governance must continue. One important ingredient for any progress on the issue of shared governance, as pointed out by Dr. Jagdeo, is the element of trust.
Past experiences in this regard have not been encouraging. As observed by Dr. Jagdeo, an agreement reached with the PNC on the question of a rotating mayorship in Georgetown’s City Council was aborted after the PNC failed to honour its side of the agreement.

Any meaningful dialogue on the question of shared governance, for it to be successful, must be rooted on shared principles, trust and a willingness to co-operate, which at the moment is lacking in the political opposition. No less important is a willingness to accept the will of the Guyanese people in verified free, fair and transparent elections. The recent 2020 General and Regional elections demonstrated once again that the political opposition, in particular the PNC is yet, as were, to change its spots on this vital issue of democracy and constitutional rule.

Shared governance must not be selectively invoked. As noted by Dr. Jagdeo, such calls are made by the political opposition only when it out of office. The PNC must show that it is genuinely committed to the cause of a democratic Guyana and for constitutional reform to deepen the democratic process. Its track record so far leaves much to be desired. The PPP/C, by contrast, has articulated a clear vision which was encapsulated in a working document several years ago captioned ‘Towards greater inclusive governance in Guyana: Building Trust to achieve genuine political cooperation.’ The document was made public in 2003 and was aimed at the emergence of a new political culture characterised by greater trust, civility and commitment to the national interest.