WPA renews call for gov’t of national unity
-says alarmed at turn of events
The WPA has renewed its call for a government of national unity that guarantees Guyana’s major ethnic groups protection against domination by the other.
“Even for a party that is well aware of the dangers of elections within a winnertakes-all framework, we are alarmed at the turn of events. As things stand, what is at stake is the very survival of the multi-ethnic covenant that has held our country together since emancipation. The signs of dislocation are too evident to be ignored,” the party said in a press statement on Tuesday.
“WPA has throughout its long life as a political party and actor advocated for a political solution to our historical problems in the form of a power-sharing Government of National Unity which guarantees our major ethnic groups protection against domination by the other. It is the foremost reason for our initial and continued membership of the [APNU+AFC] Coalition which we view as a stepping stone towards such a government. We renew that call now in this hour of desperation,” the WPA emphasised.
“It is unfortunate that the narrow branding of the Coalition both from within and without has partly resulted in the ongoing election being perceived as a straight ethno-political fight between the two major parties. WPA’s attempts to alter that narrative was clearly not as successful as we wanted it to be. Our considered view is that the situation warrants a radical intervention to restore some semblance of cohesion,” the party said.
Expressing concern about the developments in Guyana following the March 2 general and regional elections, the statement said that in the circumstances, the WPA deliberately refrains from commenting on the matters before the court.
Acting Chief Justice Roxane GeorgeWiltshire yesterday ruled in favour of a suit filed by the PPP that seeks to have full verification of the votes from Region Four.
“A fair comment must await a comprehensive observation and analysis of all the evidence from all sides of the political spectrum. It is against that background that we pledge to abide by the ruling of the court and let the rule of law guide us to safer territory,” the WPA said.
The party also called on the major actors, particularly the PPP, to retreat from the “naked aggression” that has characterised the events of the past week. “The storming of GECOM’s command centre was a form of `militaristic’ intervention that has compromised that party’s claim as an untainted actor. We are appalled that those, including the diplomatic community and the international and local observers, who are seemingly fixated on the purity of the elections have ignored that grave incident,” the party said.
The PPP has denied that there was any storming of the command centre.
“The orchestrated protests by the PPP which followed that action at GECOM cannot be dignified as demonstrations in defence of democracy. There is nothing democratic when schoolchildren, law enforcement officers and other innocent citizens are intentionally targeted for extreme violence. WPA is convinced that those mindless attacks were not the outcomes of spontaneous action—they are part of a well-planned campaign of intimidation,” the statement asserted.
“It is why the WPA urges the international community and other observers to do everything in their power to avoid the trap of being played to engage in overt and covert partisan entanglement. It would be helpful in the long run if these international observers confine themselves to the internationally accepted role of neutral observers. National reconciliation cannot be easily achieved if one side feels a sense of victimhood,” the party said.