The people have spoken: A comprehensive look at elections 2011
Written by Neil Adams
Sunday, 04 December 2011 05:10
RESULTS for the 2011 general and regional elections are in and the PPP/C has been returned to office.
There will be muted celebrations on the part of the PPP/C at the results due to the fact that they did not command an outright majority that is, winning the elections by a wide margin as a single block political entity as in previous years. In fact, the stark reality is evident that the PPP/C would have been defeated if the opposition went into the election as a united whole.
For a political party that has a track record of securing more than 51% of the votes at every election and a rich history of beating the combined opposition, this was indeed a shocker and a wake up call for the PPP/C.
But we must put this behind us now and move on with the more pressing issues confronting us. Mr Donald Ramotar is in effect the president of a minority government which in itself raises several questions. Who will be the speaker of the House of Assembly? Generally, the speaker of the national assembly is chosen from the ruling party. In the present scenario that is not a feasible option judging from the fact that the ruling party does not command a majority in the house. To make such a decision would bring about a further reduction of the seats for the PPP/C which would see an immediate return to the polls. Hence, the speaker must come from the ranks of the opposition benches and this brings us to another worst case scenario, that is, the government having difficulty in getting bills tabled as well as getting them passed by way of a majority vote. With the hostile mindset of the major opposition partner APNU what is bound to happen is a series of hung parliaments whenever the opposition cannot get its way in forwarding its agenda. This means that many bills will be stalled and effectively Ramotar would have be known as the president who cannot get anything done. Guyana can ill afford such nonsense at this important stage of its development, the next few days will be interesting ones, and the way Ramotar handles it will determine success or failure for the party and the nation as a whole.
So let us revisit election 2011 and see what transpired then, firstly, I would like to categorically dispel the myth of racial voting in Region 6, at least where the Indians are concerned. This was shown in the shift of the PPP/C vote to the AFC which saw them coming up with an extra seat in Region 6. For those pundits who seem to believe that regional voters only give blind allegiance to the PPP/C need to erase that thought from their minds. Contrary to popular belief, persons in the region vote genuinely on the side of issues and not by race. Some might readily argue that this shift was due to the presence of Nagamootoo and Ramjattan (both Indians) on the AFC card, far from it, they brought nothing to the table rather it was due to a cadre of disaffected members of the electorate who became irate at the way Berbicians are treated and finally decided to cast their ballot on the side of the AFC to punish the PPP/C for neglect or for its failure to address the many pressing issues confronting the region. In essence, the AFC captured those votes by default. For surety the PPP/C voters will never I repeat will never vote for the PNC/APNU because of the many wrongs suffered at their hands that move is tantamount to a return to slavery. So let us go over this one more time why did voters cast their ballot for the AFC? The answer is clear for all to see, Berbice has been overlooked by this administration for too long and the people choose this moment to protest with an inked finger against the PPP/C. The sugar industry and Skeldon are prime examples of such discontent. With hundreds of workers placed on the bread line and facing an uncertain future then, voter apathy or crossover voting becomes a reality. Sugar is the bread and butter for a vast majority in the region and they being affected negatively by the breakdown in the industry persons were destined to react angrily. Poor handling of the Skeldon investment where millions of dollars, $200m to be exact, was squandered could not have been brushed aside as something trivial workers were hit hardest by this collosal blunder by the PPP/C administration hence the peoples' terse response to the former president's appeal for votes when he visited the area. They replied "boat done gaan a faals" which in true meaning is, our minds are made up do not come now to ask us for our votes when we cannot make a decent living for ourselves and for our children. Those were not idle words and should have been taken seriously but the administration paid no heed and what we have today is a strong reflection of that comment.
Another area of great concern is the removal of the ferry from the Berbice river crossing. Since the introduction of the bridge and the heavy toll paid for its crossing, individuals have been hard pressed into finding an affordable means of getting to work and school. The Rosignol to New Amsterdam ferry service afforded them that cheap avenue of transport. When that was Berbicians, generally a peaceful and docile people, mounted a small protest only to be rebuffed by a government and party that they support with a sink or swim reply. This ignominy and gross disrespect for poor people yes poor people (there are poor people in Berbice contrary to the fallacious contempt of their city comrades in government) a negative response that would leave a bitter taste in the mouth was forthcoming. Added to this nasty attitude is the rundown state of our infrastructure; there are no street lights all have been removed a total neglect of the county. As we struggle with the darkness our city comrades bask in the light of stolen electricity if this is not r*** pass what is. All of our roads are in disrepair while others are shabbily done and stand in need of repair even before they are completed. When all of our roadwork has been entrusted into the hands of a single contractor corruption and shoddy work will be the result. So Berbicians have a plethora of reasons to vote the way they did.
Jagdeo is to be blamed for this because he could have gone into Buxton and readily granted their request. In a similar way his quick response to the needs of the people at Mocha when they went into that area and got things fixed. If Buxton and Mocha can capture the administration's attention so hastily, why can't the citizens of this ancient county get that kind of assistance where it is most urgently needed? Berbicians are not stupid we know what's right and proper for any modern, civilized society and that is what we are asking not any golden Jaguars as some may think just our fair share of what is rightfully ours. It was Jagdeo's mistaken belief that he could have bought those people in Region 4 with his entreaties but look at the reponse they gave him 84,828 votes for PNC/APNU as against PPP/C's 60,851 a whopping 13,977 difference in votes. Comparing the 2006 election the opposition PNC was only able to edge past the incumbent PPP/C by some 4,000 votes, what caused the giant leap in the 2011 numbers is testament to the fact that racial voting is alive and well in the Black camp and not in the Indian. Although an olive branch has been thrown out by Jagdeo towards Blacks they still voted solidly for "their boy" Granger. This gives credence to the lyrics "after all that I've done for you but you horning me" Had he exercised just a little of his time and a fraction of the resources in Berbice the result would have been different and the mess we've gotten ourselves into would have been averted.
Trying times are ahead of us.
http://www.guyanachronicleonli...=10:letters&Itemid=6
Written by Neil Adams
Sunday, 04 December 2011 05:10
RESULTS for the 2011 general and regional elections are in and the PPP/C has been returned to office.
There will be muted celebrations on the part of the PPP/C at the results due to the fact that they did not command an outright majority that is, winning the elections by a wide margin as a single block political entity as in previous years. In fact, the stark reality is evident that the PPP/C would have been defeated if the opposition went into the election as a united whole.
For a political party that has a track record of securing more than 51% of the votes at every election and a rich history of beating the combined opposition, this was indeed a shocker and a wake up call for the PPP/C.
But we must put this behind us now and move on with the more pressing issues confronting us. Mr Donald Ramotar is in effect the president of a minority government which in itself raises several questions. Who will be the speaker of the House of Assembly? Generally, the speaker of the national assembly is chosen from the ruling party. In the present scenario that is not a feasible option judging from the fact that the ruling party does not command a majority in the house. To make such a decision would bring about a further reduction of the seats for the PPP/C which would see an immediate return to the polls. Hence, the speaker must come from the ranks of the opposition benches and this brings us to another worst case scenario, that is, the government having difficulty in getting bills tabled as well as getting them passed by way of a majority vote. With the hostile mindset of the major opposition partner APNU what is bound to happen is a series of hung parliaments whenever the opposition cannot get its way in forwarding its agenda. This means that many bills will be stalled and effectively Ramotar would have be known as the president who cannot get anything done. Guyana can ill afford such nonsense at this important stage of its development, the next few days will be interesting ones, and the way Ramotar handles it will determine success or failure for the party and the nation as a whole.
So let us revisit election 2011 and see what transpired then, firstly, I would like to categorically dispel the myth of racial voting in Region 6, at least where the Indians are concerned. This was shown in the shift of the PPP/C vote to the AFC which saw them coming up with an extra seat in Region 6. For those pundits who seem to believe that regional voters only give blind allegiance to the PPP/C need to erase that thought from their minds. Contrary to popular belief, persons in the region vote genuinely on the side of issues and not by race. Some might readily argue that this shift was due to the presence of Nagamootoo and Ramjattan (both Indians) on the AFC card, far from it, they brought nothing to the table rather it was due to a cadre of disaffected members of the electorate who became irate at the way Berbicians are treated and finally decided to cast their ballot on the side of the AFC to punish the PPP/C for neglect or for its failure to address the many pressing issues confronting the region. In essence, the AFC captured those votes by default. For surety the PPP/C voters will never I repeat will never vote for the PNC/APNU because of the many wrongs suffered at their hands that move is tantamount to a return to slavery. So let us go over this one more time why did voters cast their ballot for the AFC? The answer is clear for all to see, Berbice has been overlooked by this administration for too long and the people choose this moment to protest with an inked finger against the PPP/C. The sugar industry and Skeldon are prime examples of such discontent. With hundreds of workers placed on the bread line and facing an uncertain future then, voter apathy or crossover voting becomes a reality. Sugar is the bread and butter for a vast majority in the region and they being affected negatively by the breakdown in the industry persons were destined to react angrily. Poor handling of the Skeldon investment where millions of dollars, $200m to be exact, was squandered could not have been brushed aside as something trivial workers were hit hardest by this collosal blunder by the PPP/C administration hence the peoples' terse response to the former president's appeal for votes when he visited the area. They replied "boat done gaan a faals" which in true meaning is, our minds are made up do not come now to ask us for our votes when we cannot make a decent living for ourselves and for our children. Those were not idle words and should have been taken seriously but the administration paid no heed and what we have today is a strong reflection of that comment.
Another area of great concern is the removal of the ferry from the Berbice river crossing. Since the introduction of the bridge and the heavy toll paid for its crossing, individuals have been hard pressed into finding an affordable means of getting to work and school. The Rosignol to New Amsterdam ferry service afforded them that cheap avenue of transport. When that was Berbicians, generally a peaceful and docile people, mounted a small protest only to be rebuffed by a government and party that they support with a sink or swim reply. This ignominy and gross disrespect for poor people yes poor people (there are poor people in Berbice contrary to the fallacious contempt of their city comrades in government) a negative response that would leave a bitter taste in the mouth was forthcoming. Added to this nasty attitude is the rundown state of our infrastructure; there are no street lights all have been removed a total neglect of the county. As we struggle with the darkness our city comrades bask in the light of stolen electricity if this is not r*** pass what is. All of our roads are in disrepair while others are shabbily done and stand in need of repair even before they are completed. When all of our roadwork has been entrusted into the hands of a single contractor corruption and shoddy work will be the result. So Berbicians have a plethora of reasons to vote the way they did.
Jagdeo is to be blamed for this because he could have gone into Buxton and readily granted their request. In a similar way his quick response to the needs of the people at Mocha when they went into that area and got things fixed. If Buxton and Mocha can capture the administration's attention so hastily, why can't the citizens of this ancient county get that kind of assistance where it is most urgently needed? Berbicians are not stupid we know what's right and proper for any modern, civilized society and that is what we are asking not any golden Jaguars as some may think just our fair share of what is rightfully ours. It was Jagdeo's mistaken belief that he could have bought those people in Region 4 with his entreaties but look at the reponse they gave him 84,828 votes for PNC/APNU as against PPP/C's 60,851 a whopping 13,977 difference in votes. Comparing the 2006 election the opposition PNC was only able to edge past the incumbent PPP/C by some 4,000 votes, what caused the giant leap in the 2011 numbers is testament to the fact that racial voting is alive and well in the Black camp and not in the Indian. Although an olive branch has been thrown out by Jagdeo towards Blacks they still voted solidly for "their boy" Granger. This gives credence to the lyrics "after all that I've done for you but you horning me" Had he exercised just a little of his time and a fraction of the resources in Berbice the result would have been different and the mess we've gotten ourselves into would have been averted.
Trying times are ahead of us.
http://www.guyanachronicleonli...=10:letters&Itemid=6
