| THE VOICE OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS By Sase Singh I plan to present this series with the hope that there shall be some refinement of the political strategy of the APNU+AFC government in time for the mid-term in 2017. I am making this conclusion based on feedback provided from real people in the field with a fair subset of these views originating from rural Guyana.I want to thank the hundreds of Guyanese in the homeland who have sent me emails, WhatsApp messages, Facebook inboxes and even telephone calls outlining their perception of the political situation. For the record, these are not my comments, but my interpretation of what has been communicated to me.After cataloging these many comments, I think I can put them into four boxes from which we can together unpack them for all to read and hopefully change attitudes going forward. These four boxes shall be labeled: (1) what happened in May 2015? (2) Where do we stand today? (3) What are the projections to local government elections? and (4) how the people see this government evolving by the mid-term in 2017?What happened in May 2015? May 2015 was indeed a landmark in Guyana’s political history according to almost every person I communicated with. For the more experienced observers,Wholesale Jerseys Group, they concluded that this victory felt similar to the one in 1992. But for the younger generation, May 2015 felt empowering.Upon further probing, they were even candid to say that if it was not for the consistency in action from the Americans, the outcome might have been different. The youths see this as their victory against the Jagdeo /Ramotar cabal which in their eyes was ruling exclusively for a small political elite consisting of friends and family.Overwhelmingly, many of the commentators were fed up with the arrogance and corruption of the Ramotar government. Many stated that they did not see President Ramotar as their leader since they struggled to draw any inspiration from him.You could say, after all, the APNU+AFC only won by 4,545 votes; that’s true. You could say that this is the slimmest victory in any free and fair elections in Guyana; that is also correct. You could say this is the tiniest majority of votes every enjoyed by a President of Guyana at 50.3 percent; that’s true. All of this is true, but let us not underestimate the symbolism of May 2015. It was a true grassroots uprising against a well-financed and well-oiled political machine. This confirms the political reality that money alone does not win elections.In this post PNC polity that began after 1992, most people agreed that we entered a new phase in Guyanese politics, which allowed for the transition of power. But it was not only the PPP that was beaten at the 2015 polls – arrogance and corruption in high office were also beaten.Similarly,Nike NFL Jerseys China, if this was a pure race vote,Arizona Diamondbacks Gregor Blanco Jersey, the PPP would have had the advantage but the party lost. Why? There were enough East Indians voting for this APNU+AFC coalition in places like Bath Settlement to deny the PPP another Presidency. If one looks at the hinterland where the Amerindians dominate the electoral race,Authentic Jerseys Sale, the PPP won three of the four regions – North West (Region One), Potaro Region (Region Eight) and Rupununi (Region Nine). This confirmed that this victory was not possible without those swing voters in East Indian-dominated communities that made that conscience decision to either not vote for the PPP or voted for the APNU+AFC like those 557 voters in the Bath / Woodley Park NDC.The key to this victory was the disgruntled former PPP supporters who voted for the APNU+AFC.Where do we stand today?The important thing to understand today is whether what was fought for in May 2015 still holds. Have we been able to get rid of arrogance in office? The feedback from the people clearly illustrates they have serious doubts. Many of the commentators from as far as Essequibo Coast to the Corentyne have said to me the Ministers are standoffish,Wholesale China Jerseys, always too busy for the public, illustrate an aura of self-important and very inaccessible.I am not sure about this perception because on the matter of importance,Andy Pettitte Jersey, when I communicate with Ministers they always respond, so my views on these issues are in the minority.Even media personnel have told me that they cannot access Ministers in a timely manner and they are comparing this situation to their access to the PPP Ministers. The fourth estate if properly utilized is a powerful vehicle to get your message out. That is elementary politics. If this is the case,Wholesale Jerseys, then we have a growing perception that will influence how people will vote in the Local Government Elections (LGE) in 2016.It would best serve the Ministers to fix this sooner rather than later or else we have a problem.There is a perception today that there is some level of policy paralysis especially on the productive sectors (the six sisters) and new foreign direct investments. What is very clear is that in the eyes of the people, they are not seeing much improvement on the jobs front, on the wages front for the masses and on the economic management front.Translating these anxieties positively,Wholesale NFL China Jerseys, it can be interpreted that there is a dire yearning for stronger leadership on how we manage the economy.We cannot continue on this path of looking back every five seconds and blaming the Ramotar administration for our inability to clearly communicate and implement courses of action that stimulate economic transformation. There is a clear need for new blood and new energy in the process and that can only be found by unleashing the youths and women by putting them in positions of authority to drive “out-of-the-box” ideas.Even a very strong supporter of this coalition, Andaiye, reflected and said that the boards appointed since the new government was formed, “constituted mainly men,Cheap Jerseys Online, who are mainly older, mainly middle class and mainly African-Guyanese.”This might be a totally inaccurate statement but it is the perception that has been formed and it will materially influence the results in the LGE.Next week, we shall attempt to answer the other two questions in this mini-series. Please share your feedback at [email protected] |
