Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 03, 2010 APNU Column, Features / Columnists
The PNCR extends New Year Greetings to all Guyanese at home and abroad.
In his New Year Message, the Leader of the PNCR and Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Robert H. O. Corbin, MP, expressed the hope that Guyanese would seize the opportunity to remove many of the fundamental obstacles that have halted the development of our country and ourselves and to place Guyana on the path to national harmony and real progress.
He emphasised, however, that the cycle of events, over the past years, illustrates that the fundamental issues affecting our country cannot be wished away by colourful propaganda. Breaking of the cycle of division and ethnic polarization in our country is an important key for unlocking the potential of our people.
2009: YEAR OF EXECUTIVE LAWLESSNESS
The cycle of unsavoury events that plagued our nation over the past years persisted and, in most cases, worsened in 2009: executive lawlessness; lack of transparency; corruption and a plethora of scandals; disregard for the rule of law; decline in morality at the highest levels of the land; interference with the independence of the Judiciary; harassment and victimization of opponents of the Government, including the media; the intensification of the assault on the Trades Union movement and workers generally; arrogance, vindictiveness and high-handed behaviour by those in authority; the unreliable and unstable electricity supply; decline in the productive sectors, as exemplified in the Bauxite and Sugar sectors, including the historic inability of GUYSUCO to pay its workers; and, escalated human rights abuses.
DISREGARD FOR THE WORKING POOR
Despite the declared billions of dollars collected in excess of projected taxation revenues by the GRA, the Administration failed to give relief to the thousands of Guyanese workers, across our country, who have joined the growing army of the working poor that find it difficult to provide for themselves and their families.
OPPORTUNITY FOR FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE
In highlighting the challenges we face, Mr. Corbin opined that reviewing our system of Governance is pivotal if there is to be fundamental change. The issue for Guyanese, therefore, is whether we are ready and prepared to seize the opportunity to commence that journey in 2010.
LAST TWO YEARS: WILL JAGDEO LEAVE A LEGACY?
Will President Jagdeo take the opportunity of his last two years in Office to leave a positive and progressive legacy? or Will he fade into the horizon after 2011 leaving only the memories of corruption, scandals and a divided country?
The PNCR recommends that President Jagdeo should commence that journey by ensuring that:
1. Consultations are really meaningful;
2. Local Government Reform becomes a reality;
3. The Government Radio monopoly is removed and a National Broadcast Authority is established;
4. Freedom of Information Legislation is passed in the National Assembly; and,
Engage in meaningful talks on how a a system of Shared Governance can be instituted;
These initiatives will at least create the conditions for Guyanese to become optimistic about the process of advancing Guyana.
MEANINGFUL CONSULTATIONS
President Jagdeo’s recent outburst, about having no time to await consultation with the Opposition Leader and political parties, only illustrates his now renowned arrogance and dictatorial behaviour, and exposes his lack of respect for the Constitution, the highest Law of the Land, that he swore to uphold. It is significant that all the Parties, including the PPP, endorsed the 2001 amendments to the Constitution and agreed that the word, “Consultation” should be refined to read, “Meaningful Consultation”.
That refinement was not considered sufficient and the drafters decided that an interpretation clause should also be included. The interpretation clause, Article 232, specifies that, “‘consultation’ or ‘meaningful consultation’ means the person or entity responsible for seeking consultation shall-
(a) Identify the persons or entities to be consulted and specify to them in writing the subject of the consultation and an intended date for the decision on the subject of consultation;
(b) Ensure that each person or entity to be consulted is afforded a reasonable opportunity to express a considered opinion on the subject matter of the consultation; and
(c) Cause to be prepared and archived a written record of the consultation and circulate the decision to the person or entities consulted”
In addition, Article 13 of the Constitution provides that, “The principal objective of the political system of the state is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens, and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the state, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their well-being.”
FARCICAL CONSULTATIONS WILL FOOL NO ONE:
Regrettably, it is this failure to honour the spirit and letter of our Constitution that has contributed to several of the problems that Guyana now experiences in every sector. President Jagdeo’s speeches to the Parliament and elsewhere about regular consultation were mere rhetoric, as events during 2009 confirmed. Consultations continue to be driven by the PPP’s hard-core commitment to Democratic Centralism.
The history of public consultation and the implementation of the outcomes are littered by the display of bad faith and, often, downright dishonesty. The methodology has effectively shut out the Opposition and those elements of civil society, which are independent of the Administration.
The result has been contemptuous disregard for the views of the public, particularly those who do not share the views of the Administration.
Convoluted forms of Consultation appear only necessary to satisfy the conditionality imposed by Donors or to diffuse tensions in the society. It has been, in reality, form without substance. The Constitutional processes have been discarded. Instead, consultations have been characterised by major propaganda campaigns while proceeding to solicit predetermined responses from selected cohorts.
Examples include:
• Consultations on Local Government Reform: undermining the Task Force’s recommendations followed by the complete abandonment in order to use the PPP’s simple majority in the National Assembly to impose their predetermined positions;
• The removal of the Government Radio Broadcast monopoly: Years after the joint task force’s recommendations that were accepted by the PPP, citizens had to resort to the High Court to obtain a ruling on this issue. It is anyone’s guess when any action, in consonance with the ruling of the Court, would be taken;
• National Broadcast Legislation: which it was agreed would be fast tracked, during the 2003 consultation under the Constructive Engagement process, is still to be implemented;
• Establishment of Non-Partisan Boards for the State owned media: from limited representation to non-representation;
• National Policy on the distribution of Land and House lots: after political mileage on the decision a reversion to exclusive PPP control of the process;
• Support for Marginalised and Depressed Communities: turned out to be another political gimmick with the CDC Boss at the Ministry of Local Government exercising partisan political control over the allocation of resources through the so called Community Development Councils;
• The appointment of Opposition representatives on State Boards, Commissions and Committees: now a figment of Luncheon’s imagination;
• The establishment of a national stakeholder forum after the well-publicised stakeholder consultation on National Security after the Lusignan and Bartica massacres: a decision still awaiting implementation;
• LCDS Consultation: another mirage to impress international donors.
President Jagdeo, should have already learned his lesson after the loss of millions of dollars from the British Government for assistance in the security sector. Contrary to the propaganda churned out from the Office of the President, cancellation of the security sector project by the British Government was clearly the result of bad faith on the part of the Jagdeo Administration, particularly its failure to ensure genuine stakeholder consultation as agreed, its failure to ensure genuine Parliamentary oversight and its refusal to agree to a management model that would ensure transparency in the application of the funds by the donor.
Having secured the British loan in principle, the regime sought every means to avoid their obligations and to be in a position to misuse those funds without any real oversight. The established Parliamentary Committee was restricted in the role to only receiving reports.
The President then stubbornly resisted any arrangement whereby the donor could verify that the funds were being spent in the manner approved. It is evident that the British Government was not hood winked.
THE CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT
Another important agreement will feature in 2010: The Norway/Guyana Climate Change Agreement. Guyanese are still to be informed of the many conditionalities imposed for the receipt of the millions of United States dollars that has now become the mantra of the President.
Guyanese should be informed, however, that these conditionalities are much more stringent than those imposed by the British Government for the security project. Among them is the requirement of consultation. President Jagdeo can, therefore, fool himself about not having time to await consultation with the Opposition. Perhaps, he has not learnt his lesson after the loss of the funds allocated for the security sector project.
Is he also prepared to lose the millions allocated under the REDD+ mechanism, by the Government of Norway, to support a Guyana climate change mitigation programme? Or,
Will he seize the opportunity in 2010 to make consultations really meaningful?
.
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