PNC MINI - REVOLUTION - The Peoples National Congress has created the basis for revolutionising its party electoral process by changing the constitution to allow one member one vote - at a time when the PPP is incapable of holding its Party congress to elect its leaders and presidential candidate. It is a major shift in the body politics of Guyana - where the leaders of all the political parties, historically, decided everything and use their so-called conferences and Congresses to "rubber-stamp", already agreed decisions.
Moving away from an ugly past, where it indulged in rigging the nation's General and Local government elections - the PNC has made tremendous changes over the years, notwithstanding the bitter controversies with veteran activists, like Vincent Alexander, now Registrar at the University of Guyana.
The objective situation cannot be ignored by any ration person. The PNC membership seemed to have learnt the mistakes of the past and should be highly complimented for this latest move of encouraging genuine democracy at the lowest level of the party.
No one should doubt that the PNC - a majority partner in the APNU, a coalition, would want to repeat the past actions in national elections. In fact - it was the PPP - the ruling party - that has prevented its members from deciding - who should lead the PPP.
The PPP and the PNC shared a common Stalinist culture of "control-freaks" and have always been afraid of its own party members - and more-so the Guyanese people - hence their indulgence in rigged party elections and the selection of chosen individuals to lead their respective parties.
Today, the PPP is reluctant to call Local elections, despite international outcry, especially from the USA. The US State Department made it absolutely clear that the views expressed by former Ambassador Hardt are in keeping with the foreign policies of the US administration - killing all speculation by "wild-cat", Minister Manic-chand, that the Ambassador is a "rogue Ambassador", implying that he was not authorised to deliver such a speech at his farewell dinner at his residence.
Clement Rohee, once a champion of "free and Fair" elections in Guyana, is finding every excuse not to empower ordinary people by calling the Local government elections, which is scheduled to be held this year - the latest by the August 1st, 2014.
Mr. Granger - the PNC leader and chairman of the APNU - has committed himself to a truly democratic path for all Guyanese. He has promised a "better life for all Guyanese" and is working to, hopefully, develop a programme and polices to meet the needs and aspirations of all our people. Mr. Granger must be bold in defending the progressive economic and social programmes of Mr. Forbes Burnham, despite some very serious shortcomings and mistakes. He must not "throw away the baby with the bath water".
Members and supporters of the APNU are hoping that Mr. Granger will do similar work to immediately structure and radically democratise the APNU, which will be geared to enter the next General or Local government elections, whenever either is called.
JINNAH RAHMAN
GUYANESE AND UK - JOURNALIST AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST