TIME TO TALK

One year ago, today November 28, the triangle of political power was turned upside down. The majority of our people forming the base of that power, chose to be on top, and created history by forcing government to be accountable to them.

At the November 28, 2011 elections 342,126 voters, forming 65% of the electorate, actually voted. The low voter turn-out told its own story of rebellion by our people, fed-up as they were with the dominant, old parties, their abuse of power principally through racism and corruption..

The Alliance for Change (AFC) was the youngest party, with a brighter vision. It inscribed on its banner the ambition and hopes of our young people. It was to provide an alternative, and made a difference by holding, for the first time ever, the balance of power between the two rival blocs.

The results gave PPP/C 166,340 or 48.62%; APNU 139, 678 or 40.83% and AFC 35,333 or 10.33% of votes cast. Seats in the National Assembly were 32, 26 and 7 respectively, thus giving the combined opposition a one-seat majority.

Those results showed that, for the first time in 20 years, the PPP lost its absolute majority in Parliament. It took the presidency and formed the government on a minority of the votes. Its side-kick, The United Force (TUF) was decimated after its leader defected to PPP/C.

The story of the past 12 months has given new life to politics in Guyana. Never have our people been so aware of the level of corruption in Guyana as the parliamentary opposition initiated an unrelenting process of exposure. Assisted by the non-government and independent newspapers, the AFC played no small role in unearthing blotched state contracts, hidden funds and widespread corruption.

The budget cuts exposed the bureaucratic “fat cats” and party activists in sinecure positions drawing down million-dollar salaries and allowances. We de-gutted the wicked waste of our people’s monies on unnecessary projects like a Marriot Hotel/Casino, hefty benefits for past presidents, subsidies to corrupt propaganda machinery like GINA and NCN. We argued that such monies were better spent on old age pensions and community improvement.

The fire in our politics of accountability is responsible for the display of despotic tendencies by the PPP. It is also exposing their distressful dissent to rabid racism and political insanity. How else could anyone explain the President’s odious comparison of a section of the opposition with a “hog” and a “pig”?  The AFC feels that such reckless talks belonged to an era of political cannibalism as when Hitler compared Jews to “vermins” and “rats”, and Rwandian killers condemned opponents as “cockroaches”, in order to justify their extermination!

The minority PPP government has been masquerading as a majority and refused to accept the new Guyana dispensation.

The PPP alone has to be blamed for the stand-off between the President and Parliament. It is now busy engineering a confrontation between the Judiciary and Parliament

On this first anniversary of the people’s victory, AFC strongly condemns the PPP’s divisive tactics. We call on the administration to halt its campaign of racism and division; to stop its wanton attacks on Alliance For Change and our leaders!

The PPP has foisted its paramountcy over the state media and flagrantly uses them as party organs to carry singularly party views and opinions, and more especially as vehicles for cowardly lies, disinformation and slander of our leaders.

What appears to be a rehash of an FBI Manual used in the United States against the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panthers is now seen in Guyana as the “Donald Duck Doctrine”, where disinformation and duplicity are weapons of choice in a campaign of division and diversion. Spying and wire-tapping are now “legal” and routine.

At the same time, the PPP has misappropriated state resources nationally and in the various regions as social bribes in a failed bid to garner political support.

All those acts which continue unabated have undermined the political fabric of our nation, weakened our democratic institutions and incited racial insecurity and social fear throughout Guyana.

Today, Guyana is at the crossroad of definition, whether we are only formally a democracy; or descending swiftly into an autocratic, authoritarian state.

The AFC believes that we can pull back from the precipice. We would like to help break this grid-lock. Serious negotiations are urgently needed. In this regard, we urge all parliamentary parties to embark on purposeful dialogue, in an effort at finding consensus on critical issues including but not restricted to:-

1. Agreement on Protocols in the national interest for the use of Majority/Minority vote in Parliament and the veto by the President.
2. All-party confidence in and respect for the Speaker of the National Assembly and the sovereignty of Parliament.
3. National concord on suppression of all criminal activities, with focus on armed banditry, extra-judicial executions and widespread corruption.
4. Immediate composition with full complement of Integrity Commission, Judicial Service Commission, Public Procurement Commission, Ethnic Relations Commission, etc..
5. Confirmation of appointment of suitably qualified persons to such constitutional posts as Chancellor of the Judiciary, Chief Justice, Commissioner of Police and Ombudsman.
6. Cessation of one-party control and manipulation of State Media, and ensure  equitable access by all parliamentary parties to state media and respect of the right to reply.
7.  Respect for collective bargaining and payment of interim across-the-board 10% salary increase to teachers, nurses, members of the security and disciplined services, and in state corporations.
8. Reduction of VAT by 2%, or alternatively, increase of an agreed number of food and household items on zero-rated list.
9. Increase in Old Age Pension by $5,000.00 monthly.

10. Granting an Income Tax Allowance for students attending university

11. Reduction of toll for Berbice Bridge Crossings.

12. Recovery of $5 billion of NIS money invested in CLICO.

13. Freeze employment of contracted employees and return to civil service recruitment based on a system of meritocracy and agency shop system.

14. Cap external borrowing and halt unpopular projects such as Marriot hotel/casino.

The AFC is a serious national political player, which places the nation’s business above party interest. We have no vested interest in any stalemate or gridlock that would cripple national development or commercial life. We invite all parties to concentrate our energies on priorities such as job creation, food production and agro-processing, bio-energy and a new vision for a secured and sustainable future of our youth, women, workers, farmers and hinterland residents.

At the same time, the AFC is ready to call the bluff about  “snap elections”. But for now, we hail our people’s victory of November 28 and repeat the refrain of our former Leader Raphael Trotman: “The war is Over !”.

We must now sit and talk! [END]

28^th November, 2012

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