Conversation Tree

POLITICS AND THE NATIONAL TOSHAOS’ CONFERENCE

The annual National Toshaos Conference took place during last week and was addressed by President Ali. In his address the President emphasised the contribution that his government has made to the development of Amerindian communities. He pointed to increased budget allocations, extensive distribution of land titles, direct allocation of increased earnings from carbon credit and other benefits advanced by his and previous PPP/C administrations. He contrasted his administration’s “significant improvement” with the “stagnation” under the APNU+AFC government between 2015 and 2020. The SN characterised his presentation as a “thunderous political speech.” In a subsequent editorial SN described the President’s speech as one “more suited to a political campaign rally.”

VENEZUELA UNDER INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

With very few exceptions, the entire Latin America, Caribbean and North America have now rejected the results of Venezuela’s elections held on 28 July. This was crystalized during last week when the Organisation of American States (OAS) adopted a resolution calling on the Venezuelan government to “expeditiously publish the presidential election records, including the voting results at the level of each polling station” and “respect the fundamental principle of popular sovereignty through an impartial verification of the results that ensures the transparency, credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process.” The election records are contained in the electronic reports generated by the voting machines that are in use in Venezuela. The “impartial verification” of those electronic records are also sought by the resolution. President Lula of Brazil and Petro of Columbia have already gone further and called for new elections in Venezuela and these calls have been supported by the United States. President Maduro has rejected the demand.

A REVIEW OF SHARED GOVERNANCE AND WHAT IT COULD LOOK LIKE

The phrases ‘shared’ governance’ and ‘winner-take-all’ were introduced into Guyana’s political lexicon in the mid 1970s by the ever-resourceful Cheddi Jagan. At that time the PNC had given itself a two-third majority of votes and seats in the National Assembly at the 1973 general elections. It placed the PPP on the backfoot by the nationalization of the ‘commanding heights’ of the economy, long advocated by the PPP. The PNC developed political relations with China, Cuba and the non-aligned movement thereby exerting political pressure against the PPP, which had been demanding these policies. With continuing Cold War pressures assuring US support for the PNC, and its major policies adopted by the PNC, the PPP was in despair of ever overcoming the obstacles to political office.

DRAMATIC TURN IN US POLITICS

Kamala Harris, described as an American woman of African and South Asian heritage, is poised to be nominated as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in US elections to be held in November. In slow-motion, over two weeks and more, the effort of President Biden to seek a second term as President, amidst collapsing poll numbers, palpably frailty and a disenchanted Democratic Party base, finally forced him to recognize the unreality of his quest. “Watch me,” he said. But as America watched a crumbling campaign, they were perhaps reminded of the magician’s refrain – ‘the more you watch the less you see.’ Try as President Biden might, vital sections of the electorate could no longer see a way out of the dilemma of his falling support.

THE CASE FOR A NEW VOTERS’ LIST

The voters’ list is created by law. It is extracted from the national register when an order is made by the Elections Commission. The national register is created pursuant to the provisions of the National Registration Act and under the supervision of the Elections Commission. In the past, the national register was compiled by periodic, house-to-house, registration. Some years ago, a system of continuous registration was implemented whereby registration takes place all the year round at fixed registration offices. This eliminated, as it was intended to, the need for periodic, nationwide, house-to-house compilation of the national register.