Gone are the days of ‘Burnhamism’

Guyana recently observed 53 years as a republic. It also coincided with the 100th birth anniversary of former President Forbes Burnham. Burnham was at the political helm both at the time of the conferral of independence and republican status.

As to whether Burnham’s birth anniversary and our republic celebrations were coincidental is not really important or material, even though given Burnham’s proclivity for ego gratification, it may not be one of sheer coincidence.

To say that Burnham played a contributory role in the underdevelopment of Guyana during the immediate post-independence period would be an understatement.

Burnham was, in fact, the architect of Guyana’s economic and social decline, which at the time of his passing had reduced the country to the poorest in the western hemisphere and among the least developed in the world!

One of the main reasons for the difficult situation in which the country found itself was the rupture of the democratic fabric of the country. It is an established fact that all elections since 1968 were blatantly rigged by the PNC, which resulted in a deep political crisis, the likes of which had never been experienced in the Anglophone Caribbean.

The political crisis gave rise to an economic crisis, which in turn resulted in a severe social crisis. For a significant period, the country experienced negative economic growth which only served to make a bad situation worse.

Guyanese were experiencing hell to make ends meet and many were forced into the underground economy in order to survive. The point in all of this is that there is a dialectical relationship between the political system and the other sub-systems, including the economic, social and cultural systems.

The political system impacts all aspects of life. Hence the importance of fixing the system in a way that it optimises the full developmental potential of the country and its people.

One can be charitable and give some credit to Burnham for the role Guyana played in the non-aligned movement and the anti-imperialist struggle at that time for which the PPP rendered “critical support.”

There are, however, many who saw such overtures as merely self-serving and a political smokescreen to institutionalise dictatorial rule.

During that period, even in the midst of a severe economic crisis, the country had a bloated foreign service which, along with the Office of the President and the military, was consuming more financial resources than education, health, housing, agriculture and water combined.

It is important that Burnham be placed in a proper historical context, especially in light of recent attempts by some people to glorify his contribution to Guyana’s political evolution. His split from the PPP in 1955 and the subsequent rupture of the democratic fabric of the country remain until this day an unfortunate, if not dark moment in our political landscape.

Fortunately, we have moved past that depressing era but, “Burnhamism” as a political philosophy, whereby the capture of state power by undemocratic and Machiavellian means should never be allowed to again raise its ugly head.

The way forward for Guyana is through, free, fair and democratic elections and constitutional governance. Any departure from such norms are fraught with danger.

Yours respectfully, Hydar Ally

Dear Editor,

The Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) decision to extend the period of ‘Objections’ is very generously accommodative. The flexibility exercised supports the intent of allowing every eligible person the opportunity to vote in their respective constituency, while removing unnecessary queries concerning the updated Voters List for the constituencies in the various Local Authority Areas.

The context can be viewed from the perspective that several ‘full Claims and Objections were held following the various Continuous Registration cut-off points, allowing political parties and other stakeholders time to raise any relevant queries.

Diligent political and other parties, including those who had attendant scrutineers in the Continuous Registration Cycles, should have already had a status position when the cycle came to an end.

The extension therefore provides more time than the usually notified period for interested stakeholders to raise concerns, and allows the corresponding option of verification to remove doubts concerning the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) that has been posted in relevant areas to serve as public notices in the various constituencies.

In preparation for finalising the Register of Voters List for the upcoming Local Government Elections, GECOM has exercised discretion. This will also allow all who are eligible to vote in their respective constituencies an opportunity to relook at the extracts from the PLE for the constituency where they reside to identify their names.

This process also allows the public to scrutinise approximately two thousand names of persons who were processed during GECOM’s last Continuous Registration cycle, held in response to queries raised by the PNC/R.

Further, it allows the newly elected Assistant Electoral Registrar in each area some time to become fully acquainted with the logistics required for their respective areas of assignment.

Consequently, with the names of approximately 2000 persons updated to the Register of Registrants, GECOM must aggressively get on with holding of the overdue LGEs. Naturally, any further unnecessary delay outside the cutoff points would likely encourage queries concerning persons meeting the qualifying criteria who are not included on the Voters’ list.

As the entire nation awaits the voting day, GECOM must finalize all arrangements and put the necessary system in place for the seamless holding of these LGEs. It is clear that by attrition and many other reasons, many Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) are not functioning as they should. Importantly, the rapid development at the national level is putting a greater demand on the NDCs to be more proactive.

It cannot be understated how very critical NDCs are to the functioning of our local democracy. They are essential to the delivery of key services and for advancing from the community level, a platform for community citizens to plurally benefit from national programs and initiatives. Importantly, ensuring the maintenance of community drainage, especially in the extended rainy seasons, is a matter of serious concern, since it impacts health among other critical support.

Editor, in hastening to the seriousness of getting things right at this level, permit me to highlight the words of the Hon Minister of Finance, who in his 2023 Budget Presentation said, “We inherited a lethargic system encouraged by the former Government and practised by some Local Democratic Organs (LDOs). Our Government has long recognized