Political dancing in choice of new Speaker:
Written by Rickey Singh
Sunday, 08 January 2012 01:38
Post-Election Analysis
SINCE DECEMBER 1, the official results of Guyana’s November 28 presidential parliamentary and regional elections were known -- at home and abroad. But, for the first time in the country’s history as a constitutional republic, there remains uncertainty over arrangements for the inaugural ceremony for the new post-election parliament. The reason?
Division over the choice of a new Speaker for the 65-member National Assembly between the governing Peoples Progressive Party/Civic and the two opposition parties -- A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which is overwhelmingly dominated by the old People’s National Congress (PNC), and the Alliance for Change (AFC).Ralph Ramkarran
Apart from securing, for a fifth consecutive term, the Executive Presidency that carries with it very significant constitutional powers, and also emerging once again as the party with the single largest bloc of valid votes and parliamentary seats, the PPP, nevertheless, lost by one seat its control of parliament.
Ignoring recognised conventions whereby the majority parliamentary party is permitted to have the Speaker and the opposition that of Deputy Speaker, the APNU and AFC chose to ignore the PPP’s declared preference for a return to the Speakership of the well-known senior counsel, Ralph Ramkarran, who served in that capacity in successive parliaments for the past 19 years with the incumbent holding the reins of state power.
Deborah Backer:
For their part, APNU and AFC were to extend into 2012 their disagreements since the first week of November over the choice of Speaker. APNU, whose presidential candidate, David Granger -- while its primary partner PNC continues to be held by ex-Opposition Leader Robert Corbin -- favours either Deborah Backer or Cammie Ramsaroop, while the AFC holds firm in its bid to have Moses Nagamootoo.
The situation became more complicated by the political bitterness that flowed from APNU’s Granger that Nagamootoo (a former PPP stalwart who defected ahead of the November 28 election) was “not a suitable candidate.”
This provoked a sharp response from the AFC’s chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan, who was to angrily declare to the media that Nagamootoo is the best candidate for the job, and there was no “backing down” from that position. The AFC’s leader, Raphael Trotman, was to subsequently reinforce the party’s support for Nagamootoo.
Critical questions:
Significantly, in their public verbal squabble on the issue, both APNU and AFC thought it expedient to say that they had no intentions of collaborating with the governing PPP to secure the choice of a new Speaker. However, as their manoeuvres to influence a deal remained unsuccessful, the idea of a likely rotation of the Speaker’s post emerged for consideration, though quite vague at the time of writing.
Moses Nagamootoo:
Assuming that APNU and AFC pursue idea of rotation, the crucial question is: Whose candidate gets the first nomination? On the further assumption that President Donald Ramotar may not resort to his constitutional powers and announce a snap general election, whether by mid-term or else -- is it to be expected that the AFC’s Nagamootoo will get the first bite at the cherry (speakership), or one of the APNU’s nominees?
That’s the rub. If previous experiences in post-election deals are to be taken into consideration, then the AFC would wish to be extremely careful in ensuring its candidate gets the first opportunity to serve as Speaker.
The details of what transpired in expedient arrangements between the PPP and PNC following the 2006 national poll in the elections of chairmen and deputy chairmen for Regional Democratic Councils in both Regions 4 and 7 to the detriment of the PPP, offer good advice of what to avoid, even if the 1994 election of a Mayor for the Georgetown City Council may be too distant for some to recall.
Briefly, the PNC cheated, or ratted as some may say, on the PPP in all three referenced cases. For political newcomers, that’s how to this day—in the absence of local government elections—the ubiquitous and ever flamboyant Hamilton Green is still holding the position as Mayor of Georgetown, the once hailed “Garden City” that is such an eyesore today—despite repeated financial bailouts by successive PPP governments.
What may well frustrate APNU’s manoeuvre to negotiate a rotation deal with AFC on the Speaker with the hope of getting the first chance, is the awareness today of those very relevant “bargainings” that were to be callously dishonoured by the PNC.
Awaiting developments Others with other relevant experiences may also wonder whether the AFC, in its short-term bid for an expedient resolution with APNU on the Speaker, risk jeopardizing in 2012 its shifting “alliances” ahead of a new general election in the context of some still significant voting patterns?
Of immediate interest also, in relation to post-November 28 election politics is the yet to be resolved final choice of a parliamentary candidate by APNU to complete its 26 nominees, having failed to honour a pre-election arrangement with Aubrey Norton, former General Secretary of the PNC.
Also, while Guyanese—across party lines—await with interest APNU’s promised post-election “leadership structure”, as signalled by current vice-chairman, Dr Rupert Roopnarine, representing the Working People’s Alliance in the “partnership” network, perhaps there may also come some basic information on what constitutes the “Youth Coalition for Transformation” (YCT), as the youth arm of APNU, that had engaged in street demonstrations and a claimed “successful boycott”—of doubtful value-- against selected business enterprises .
APNU had entered the 2011 election with much promise for qualitative change in the political culture of Guyana. The jury remains out and anxious, and so too for President Ramotar’s and the PPP’s pledges to honour---against the odds---stated commitment to govern in fairness to ALL with focus on the national interest of the Republic of Guyana.
Source: Chronicle
Written by Rickey Singh
Sunday, 08 January 2012 01:38
Post-Election Analysis
SINCE DECEMBER 1, the official results of Guyana’s November 28 presidential parliamentary and regional elections were known -- at home and abroad. But, for the first time in the country’s history as a constitutional republic, there remains uncertainty over arrangements for the inaugural ceremony for the new post-election parliament. The reason?
Division over the choice of a new Speaker for the 65-member National Assembly between the governing Peoples Progressive Party/Civic and the two opposition parties -- A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which is overwhelmingly dominated by the old People’s National Congress (PNC), and the Alliance for Change (AFC).Ralph Ramkarran
Apart from securing, for a fifth consecutive term, the Executive Presidency that carries with it very significant constitutional powers, and also emerging once again as the party with the single largest bloc of valid votes and parliamentary seats, the PPP, nevertheless, lost by one seat its control of parliament.
Ignoring recognised conventions whereby the majority parliamentary party is permitted to have the Speaker and the opposition that of Deputy Speaker, the APNU and AFC chose to ignore the PPP’s declared preference for a return to the Speakership of the well-known senior counsel, Ralph Ramkarran, who served in that capacity in successive parliaments for the past 19 years with the incumbent holding the reins of state power.
Deborah Backer:
For their part, APNU and AFC were to extend into 2012 their disagreements since the first week of November over the choice of Speaker. APNU, whose presidential candidate, David Granger -- while its primary partner PNC continues to be held by ex-Opposition Leader Robert Corbin -- favours either Deborah Backer or Cammie Ramsaroop, while the AFC holds firm in its bid to have Moses Nagamootoo.
The situation became more complicated by the political bitterness that flowed from APNU’s Granger that Nagamootoo (a former PPP stalwart who defected ahead of the November 28 election) was “not a suitable candidate.”
This provoked a sharp response from the AFC’s chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan, who was to angrily declare to the media that Nagamootoo is the best candidate for the job, and there was no “backing down” from that position. The AFC’s leader, Raphael Trotman, was to subsequently reinforce the party’s support for Nagamootoo.
Critical questions:
Significantly, in their public verbal squabble on the issue, both APNU and AFC thought it expedient to say that they had no intentions of collaborating with the governing PPP to secure the choice of a new Speaker. However, as their manoeuvres to influence a deal remained unsuccessful, the idea of a likely rotation of the Speaker’s post emerged for consideration, though quite vague at the time of writing.
Moses Nagamootoo:
Assuming that APNU and AFC pursue idea of rotation, the crucial question is: Whose candidate gets the first nomination? On the further assumption that President Donald Ramotar may not resort to his constitutional powers and announce a snap general election, whether by mid-term or else -- is it to be expected that the AFC’s Nagamootoo will get the first bite at the cherry (speakership), or one of the APNU’s nominees?
That’s the rub. If previous experiences in post-election deals are to be taken into consideration, then the AFC would wish to be extremely careful in ensuring its candidate gets the first opportunity to serve as Speaker.
The details of what transpired in expedient arrangements between the PPP and PNC following the 2006 national poll in the elections of chairmen and deputy chairmen for Regional Democratic Councils in both Regions 4 and 7 to the detriment of the PPP, offer good advice of what to avoid, even if the 1994 election of a Mayor for the Georgetown City Council may be too distant for some to recall.
Briefly, the PNC cheated, or ratted as some may say, on the PPP in all three referenced cases. For political newcomers, that’s how to this day—in the absence of local government elections—the ubiquitous and ever flamboyant Hamilton Green is still holding the position as Mayor of Georgetown, the once hailed “Garden City” that is such an eyesore today—despite repeated financial bailouts by successive PPP governments.
What may well frustrate APNU’s manoeuvre to negotiate a rotation deal with AFC on the Speaker with the hope of getting the first chance, is the awareness today of those very relevant “bargainings” that were to be callously dishonoured by the PNC.
Awaiting developments Others with other relevant experiences may also wonder whether the AFC, in its short-term bid for an expedient resolution with APNU on the Speaker, risk jeopardizing in 2012 its shifting “alliances” ahead of a new general election in the context of some still significant voting patterns?
Of immediate interest also, in relation to post-November 28 election politics is the yet to be resolved final choice of a parliamentary candidate by APNU to complete its 26 nominees, having failed to honour a pre-election arrangement with Aubrey Norton, former General Secretary of the PNC.
Also, while Guyanese—across party lines—await with interest APNU’s promised post-election “leadership structure”, as signalled by current vice-chairman, Dr Rupert Roopnarine, representing the Working People’s Alliance in the “partnership” network, perhaps there may also come some basic information on what constitutes the “Youth Coalition for Transformation” (YCT), as the youth arm of APNU, that had engaged in street demonstrations and a claimed “successful boycott”—of doubtful value-- against selected business enterprises .
APNU had entered the 2011 election with much promise for qualitative change in the political culture of Guyana. The jury remains out and anxious, and so too for President Ramotar’s and the PPP’s pledges to honour---against the odds---stated commitment to govern in fairness to ALL with focus on the national interest of the Republic of Guyana.
Source: Chronicle