Tags
Corruption, Government impunity, Guyana Politics, Marginalized blacks, Moral crisis, President Donald Ramotar, Suspension of Guyana Parliament
Homeless man asleep on sidewalk outside Parliament Buildings
Georgetown, Guyana – October 2014
Photo Credit: Mark Jacobs
On Monday, November 10, 2014, the Guyana government entered into shutdown mode. Facing the threat of a “no-confidence” motion from a combined opposition against his administration, President Donald Ramotar “prorogued” the 65-member National Assembly or Parliament. He invoked a provision from the 1980 Constitution, framed by the former autocratic government of President Forbes Burnham. Such a drastic move could throw the country into a state of limbo for up to six months.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War, the Indo-Guyanese dominated party of Marxist Cheddi Jagan finally came to power in 1992 and has remained in power since then. Government corruption, unsolved criminal activity, police brutality, and extra-judicial killings – common during the Burnham dictatorship – continue unabated.
The opposition parties, who now hold a single-seat majority vote with 33 of the 65 seats, question exorbitant expenditures made by the Minister of Finance without parliamentary approval, as well as the absence of transparency about infrastructure projects costing millions of dollars.
Another contentious issue is the government’s violation of the Constitution in not holding municipal elections since 1994.
The recent disclosure of the impunity of high-ranking officials has further fanned the flames of discontent.
If the President and the opposition cannot resolve these issues, general elections due in 2016 will have to be brought forward to 2015. Perhaps, the President and his ruling political party are counting on regaining their majority stranglehold of Parliament. The current impasse is a gamble for all parties and, more so, for the people of Guyana.
The captioned photo of a black homeless male, sleeping in a prone position on the pavement in front of Guyana’s Parliament Buildings, symbolizes the government’s disregard for the people it serves. The black homeless male also represents a black marginalized underclass: without work, without a home, without hope for a better future.
Power corrupts. President Ramotar’s suspension of Parliament serves only to deflect the population from his administration’s corruption, unaccountability, and impunity. The people of Guyana are facing a moral crisis.
Three Worlds One Vision 
A tragedy for Guyana. Emergency dictatorship clauses are eventually trouble. The Weimar Republic temporarily invoked Article 48 of the Constitution on numerous occasions to deal with the financial crises of the time in Germany. Finally, Hitler used it after the Reichstag Fire. Those who worry about executive overreach have history as an ally.
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Thanks for that historical reminder, Dr. Stein. We know how that turned out.
Those of us who lived in Guyana under the Burnham dictatorship government know well the dangers of executive overreach.
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Reblogged this on Guyanese Online.
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Cyril, thanks for your continued support. Let us keep Guyana in our prayers.
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Guyana needs more than prayers
organise. resist and revolt
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Mark, I pray that the people of Guyana will wake up from their sense of helplessness and hopelessness in the face of oppression.
I pray that leaders will arise from within communities across the country who will organize for change.
I pray for a united front of nonviolent resistance that will bring all ethnic groups and classes together to end the divisive ethnic politics and the corruption.
I pray for a revolution of thought, of being, of new ways of seeing the Other.
Yes, Guyana needs more than prayers. Are you, Mark, ready to be part of the change you seek? Are you ready to be part of the solution you propose?
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born ready
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Good article Rosaliene. As we all know, Guyana has been in a state of political turmoil and unrest over the past 50 years and ever since there has been a progressive moral decline. Unfortunately, the people continue to suffer with economic hardship and poverty while the politicians are having a field day. The incidence of crimes is pervasive, bribery and political corruption are rampant, unemployment is high and Guyana remain among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Guyana is a relatively large country of 83,000 square miles blessed with a lot of natural resources. With less than a million people, about 750,000, there is no justification for Guyana to be is such a state of penury, unless there is obvious political mismanagement and corruption.
The people of Guyana need better leaders committed to work diligently for the welfare of the country. Perhaps, as one political writer suggested, an interim government comprising of candidates from all three political parties might be the best solution for unified and progressive governance.
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Thanks, Deen.
I share your view that “an interim government comprising of candidates from all three political parties might be the best solution for unified and progressive governance.” This would be must better than a replay of the “racial disturbances” of the 1960s that fomented our divisive racial politics.
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Based only from guyanese news from afar, Guyana’s leaders have little intention of sharing power for the benefit of the nation on the whole. The AFC hate the PPP more than they may love the nation. The PNC is reluctant to negotiate with the PPP, due to pressure from the AFC and charges of a sell out by diehard supporters, especially from overseas PNCities who continue to seek the return of “we on top” politics. On the other hand PPP supporters fear the possibility of that happening. The PPP seem to have difficulty in governing more effectively, while the opposition at best seem far from being able to do better. The opposition leaders seem more interested in cabinet jobs for themselfves than jobs for their followers. The government simply want to keep theirs. Shared government looks more like shared bickering and split governance. General elections will certainly be called as soon as the PPP is satisfied with GECOM’s readiness, despite fears of dictatorship, the PNC with better and more couragious leadership may have done better with their parliament seats by negotiating better policies and changes to projects with government , while protecting their supporter’s interest and the national budget. The PPP would prefer to deal rather than risk elections if possible. The opposition parliamentary advantage seem to be squandered in simply saying no way instead of a better way. I may be wrong, but it is hard to believe that with power over committees and budget, the opposition could not do better to prove and prosecute the corruption they claim exist or change the way the projects are run within the laws of Guyana and the Caribbean Court. Now let the soup drinkers(?) as they call each other have their say,.
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Thanks for sharing, Augustus.
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Rosaliene hope you could excuse my personality as a born “fault finder” but writing from first hand knowledge of the Burnham era I coud say with confidence the Jagdeo/Ramoutar administrations make the bad things from the Burnham era look like “child play.” Too much to write about and too much time involve.
I have published a book (its more of an autobiography). I did not tell everything, partly because it would be embarrassing if the children of those involved should read it. I was not writing it to make money anyway just to let my children, and those yet unborn, know something of their family history. I got some positive feedback and realised I should have made my artices much more lengthy.
I started a second book with the intention of writing about 4-5 true short stories of experiences in Guyana and in America, but my interest faded…….in the story I loved the most you just wrote something to do with it and I could not see the point of my telling such a story, which is partly historical, but still occurring today. Secondly, good writing, as you know, is hard work. Your heart has to be in it.
My point of writing this is to see whether you are interested in reading this short story…not entirely completed, and get your feedback. If interested send, or point me to your email address and I will email it.
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Albert, you are so right when you say that “good writing…is hard work. Your heart has to be in it.”
I’ll be in contact by e-mail.
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Your posts on Guyana, Rose, especially, remind me of how skimpy American journalism has become, making blogs like yours critical for international information – for our common information and understanding.
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Thanks, Angela.
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