Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 25, 2011 Editorial
These elections are interesting from many angles. In the first case there seems to be a large number of people who appear to care less about one party or the other. These are not the undecided voters that pollsters talk so much about. These are just people who feel that one party or the other would not effect a change in their lives.
More often than not, these are the poor who for all their lives have known nothing but poverty largely because they have been incapable of securing the type of job that would ensure them a reasonable living. Some are not even keen to work, choosing instead to live off others either by stealing from them or robbing them or by begging.
It is strange that with its small population and knowing that every vote counts, that the political parties have not courted more seriously, the poorest of the poor although there is no certainty that it would be worth the effort because these people may have strongly held views about their station in life.
Then there are those who have decided that their future does not reside in the political party they had been supporting in the past. Some of these are prominent people who once held leadership positions in their old party.
For example, the ruling party has been able to trot out a number of people who once supported the People’s National Congress. The presence of these people at rallies of the ruling party has caused a lot of talk. Whether the change in political alliance would have an impact on the political party they now support has never been a clear cut issue.
Indeed, there is evidence that when Raphael Trotman left the PNC and formed his political party there were many who voted for his party. What is not clear is whether they would have voted for the PNC had Trotman remained with that party.
It is not clear that Khemraj Ramjattan ‘s defection from the People’s Progressive Party led to any significant of following away from the PPP. Did Sheila Holder have a following that voted for her new party?
Now we see, once again, large scale movement from one party to another. Some of these people had been campaigning actively for their former party. Chandra Narine Sharma has pledged his support for A Partnership for national Unity as have some other people who may not have been heard of in the past. Moses Nagamootoo, a household name in the People’s Progressive Party is now among those changing alliances.
He too had tremendous support in his previous party but the question is whether the individual is bigger than the party; whether the individual would attract that following.
Back in 1955, after Forbes Burnham broke away from Dr Cheddi Jagan, the evidence is that he took with him a sizeable number of people followers. When Peter D’Aguiar formed his political party, United Force, again people who would have voted for Burnham and Jagan in the past opted to change alliance.
The cold reality is that people vote according to their perception of the people who lead the political party. In the past they voted for their independent leaders. Those were the days of the ‘First past the Post’ system of elections—the days when people expected that the person they elect would represent their interest, failing which they would vote out that person and select another.
No longer do people have their own representative so the interest in elections is not as great as it once was. Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the other countries of the English-speaking Caribbean maintain the First Past the Post system and this would explain why their governments change so often.
In Guyana, this is the first election period that one has seen so much changing of alliances, so many former party bigwigs leaving.
The results of the elections will most certainly be a lesson in the sociology of politics in Guyana.
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
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