Unfortunately, our politicians do not take calls for resignation seriously
Dear Editor,
After witnessing the near collapse of democracy and the APNU + AFC’s attempt to deny electors the right to elect a government of their choice in Guyana during the turbulent five months, the people should not place any trust in the leaders. The coalition government knew it had lost the election but had refused to surrender power to the PPP after being in office for only five years compared to 23 years of PPP rule. It was a huge, tragic and tragic mistake by the Granger administration not to accept the results of opinion polls, to vain, nonsensical and silly was to put the nation through five months of agony. And most of them at APNU + AFC have paid dearly for the mistake as it has led to serious sanctions in the US, which could have been avoided if they were honest. Losing an election does not lose someone’s life and neither does it end the world. It is advisable for them to give way and then prepare for the next election.
No one should be surprised by APNU + AFC’s attempt to illegally hold power because after the no confidence motion was passed in December 2018, APNU + AFC leaders held it for 15 months instead of ‘ r the three months set aside by the constitution for a new election. It was a clear violation of Article 106 (6) of the Constitution which reads, “The Cabinet including the President will resign if the government is defeated by a vote of a majority of all elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence. ” And Article 106 (7) says “Despite defeat, the Government will remain in office and hold an election within three months, or any longer the National Assembly by resolution supported by not less than two one third of the votes of all elected members of the National Assembly. ”Despite their clarity, the Granger cabal not only ignored the two Articles of the Constitution, but also spent tens of millions of taxpayers’ money in legal fees trying to reverse confidence and reverse election results. In each of the cases, it is the Constitution that prevails.
As has been reported many times in Kaieteur News and other media outlets, governments past and present have violated the Constitution on numerous occasions. So why should the people expect the coalition leader to recognize that he lost the election and postponement. In Guyana, politicians do not easily surrender power or resign even when there is ample evidence that they have made serious errors, committed wrongdoing, engaged in corrupt or other unlawful practices or have broken the rule of law. The reason is, there is a culture of indecency and unethical behavior among politicians and senior public officials because of their higher status in society.
At times, the two main parties when in opposition, would call on members of the governing party to resign in the face of alleged corrupt practices or wrongful acts, but as expected, they never did. Those with modesty modesty may cap under pressure and resign, but it is not the call of either side that would make them do so. It would be more likely to be a judgment call based on their integrity, or a decision taken by the President based on the deportations of the situation and the possible political outcome in the court of public opinion. Unfortunately, our politicians do not take calls for resignation seriously. Most see such calls only, if not all as political evil or rebellion or as propaganda stunts to score cheap political points. However, some political pundits have opined that the main reason why politicians do not have an established code of ethics or conduct, is because both parties would be considered weak if they were to discipline their members for wrongdoing. It’s hypocritical!
The truth is that governments have not even broached the topic of having a code of ethics or conduct for MPs, or the cabinet. To put it bluntly, a code of ethics or conduct would not be established unless civil society and influential interest groups rose and joined in the forum to force governments to recognize that decency requires a code of ethics. or conduct to hold politicians and governments to account. Resigning from public office is not easy because of the shame associated with it, but doing so is essential and ethical to maintain the integrity of the office. It should be a defining moment for the country woven into the fabric of decency, honesty and professional judgment. The Greek philosopher Parmenides who founded the School of Elementary Philosophy who influenced Western philosophy around 475 BC said: “The option for public servants to resign reinforces integrity, supports responsibility and supports accountability. It is not an act of weakness, but an ethical act that exposes the nature of public servants in inglorious events that occur in governance. “It is said that one of the greatest threats to democracy and good governance is leadership that shun ethics and morality and put personal aggravation and party interests before those of the people and the country. Too much of this practice is rooted in Guyana body politics. We must put in place a code of ethics / good conduct and governance, which is essentially accountability and transparency.
Correctly,
Asquith Rose.