Institutional sclerosis

Visitors observing the Guyanese political scene would be hard pressed to understand why actions to modify political behavior seem to be solely under the purview of the sometimes inept appearing parliamentary parties. Those visitors coming from a mature political system would again be nonplussed by the absence of interest groups genuinely possessed of the stamina to make a difference, with the probable exception of the two independent daily newspapers. With each passing day no more than four media outlets demonstrate a serious commitment to hold the administration to account for the manner in which it conducts the people’s business. Readers would have noticed the specific reference to ‘visitors’ to these shores with no mention made of the local electorate. The simple reason is that over the last twenty-odd years a degree of apathy has afflicted the body politic to the extent that the vibrancy displayed by civil society prior to 1992 to effect regime change now resides in the realm of legends. The various groupings which had the common goal of dislodging the then ‘undemocratic’ regime have grown curiously silent in the face of political behavior that has no equal from the perspective of decency in public office and in private life. The extended period in office of the current administration reflects responsiveness only to narrow oligarchic interests which have achieved a political victory over broad national interests. Take it or leave it, but the stark fact is that the current crop of political actors in government purports to represent interests and preferences that differ from those of the opposition parties, and vice versa. The Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD) which morphed into the Civic component of the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was a determined group of Guyanese from across the social spectrum ostensibly free of political baggage. With a few notable exceptions the lure of, and lust for power, apparently overcame private principled reservations with the result that cooption was the more attractive option. Notably GUARD like one or two others, operated along the lines of a pressure group essentially seeking to influence a movement towards a democratic form of political behaviour without necessarily seeking formal control of the government. Prior to 1992 pressure was also mounted on the PNC administration through foreign intervention in the form of lobbying firms as the exclusive preserve of the opposition PPP. These days lobbying is practiced mainly from within, whereby pressure is exerted on the government to favour particular local and foreign investors with unconscionable concessions. These are not granted to enterprises not openly aligned to the governing party or individuals within that particular political enclave. Among the more vocal and militant groups with an interest in political behavior, and which could be described as pressure groups before ‘the return to democracy’ were GUARD; the Trades Union Congress (TUC); the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA); and the Catholic Church just to name a few. Ironically perhaps, certain groups were aligned to one or other of the major political groupings thereby bringing their commitment to their espoused causes cÉlÈbres into question. After the “return to democracy” as mentioned before, there was a shift which suggested that having achieved their objective, the agitators determined that the time had come to fold their tents and pack away their pressure tools; a new day had dawned. Sadly, theirs was a grave miscalculation of the venality of human nature. It has been highlighted repeatedly that the current dispensation reflects a government and opposition which do not faithfully represent the interests of their constituencies, and institutional sclerosis is the order of the day. The indecent pandering to external interests reflects an obsession with securing everything possible in the way of national assets for the benefit of foreign conglomerates. Therefore the emergence of the Blue Caps, and Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO) groupings points to a rediscovery of the usefulness of strong pressure groups. Additionally, the formation of others like the Janus Cultural Policy body and the recently established Guyana National Council on Public Policy are certainly indicative of a willingness to mobilise for peaceful agitation outside of the parliamentary chambers. These interest groups have a responsibility to explore all acceptable formal and informal ways to influence political behavior in this country.