Guyana is not unique in its system of adversarial politics. In fact, Guyana shares with most democratic countries an elected legislature to which competing parties seek membership. The extent of that membership depends on the votes received by political parties in elections. Each political party at these elections seek to persuade the electorate that it is the best equipped to lead the country. Only one party or a group which coalesces before or after the elections, or in the case of presidential elections, one candidate, emerges successful and forms the government. The unsuccessful party

becomes the opposition or minority. During the term of office of the government the opposition criticizes the policies and offers alternatives in preparation for the next elections when it will again try to prove that the government has failed. It may or may not succeed.

ese problems. I and both the PPP and the government have repeatedly pointed out  the measures which have been taken. Nevertheless these remain matters of concern to many people. I have written articles urging that additional measures, already outlined by the Government, be taken to eliminate or reduce the subsistence of these problems so that the continuing concerns of citizens will be addressed.

The first of the eight Millenium Development Goals is to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.” The quantifiable targets of this goal, to be achieved by 2015, is to reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day; to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people; to reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. 

The Government of Guyana has committed to these goals so that the abolition of extreme poverty is really confirming what the government has already undertaken to do and will no doubt form a part of the manifesto of the PPP/C for the next general elections. 

The conspiracy by three Guyanese, Russell De Freitas, Abdul Kadir and Abdel Nur, who had already pleaded guilty, and one Trinidadian, Kareem Ibrahim, yet to be tried, of plotting to blow up the fuel lines at Kennedy Airport has shocked Guyanese here and overseas, including in the US. Its intention was to unleash a series of cascading explosions which was expected to threaten the very existence of New York, at least in the minds of these individuals who must have been suffering from delusions of a serious nature to believe that such a plot was feasible. No serious person would have believed that these down and out characters, with the possible exception of Abdul Kadir, could blow open even an old ovaltine tin containing spit and carbon, which we did as children, much less one of the largest airports in the world. 

 

The world recently celebrated the 92nd birthday of Nelson Mandela. The PPP commemorated the occasion by a public event at the National Library. The continued presence of Nelson Mandela among us is a source of inspiration to those who treasure forgiveness and reconciliation.

The dismantling of apartheid in South Africa necessitated a transitional arrangement of power sharing between the African National Congress and the National Party. An editorial in the Guyana Chronicle at the time, while Cheddi Jagan was President and Moses Nagamootoo was Information Minister, entitled ‘The Mandela Formula,’ spoke glowingly about the arrangement when it was put in place. There was discussion about the ‘Formula’ in the PPP leadership at the time in relation to the issue of shared governance generally but these were inconclusive. Cheddi spoke supportively about the ‘Formula’ in interviews.