Oct 10, 2025
Editorial, News

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(Kaieteur News) – Stranger things have happened, but many were of the view that the new PPPC Government would be a cut above its past examples.  President Irfaan Ali set expectations at a high level in his second inaugural address.  The road ahead is clear with the victorious group enjoying as clear a field as any recent government with an unassailable seven seat majority in parliament.  What is coming out of the government, however, is that it is going to be the same old business as usual mentality and practices, and with a little twist here and there to keep everyone on their toes.  The convening of parliament gives early confirmation of what could be in store, with the president seemingly comfortable taking advantage of all the time that the clock allows he and his team.

The constitution allows a four-month maximum between parliaments, which the PPPC Government is set to take to the last day.  It has that right, but the government and the country are better served with parliament being convened earlier.  One of the weak points in the previous PPPC Government was its tendency for secret dealings, with another being developments that generate suspicions about corruption in action.  The $865M Belle View pump station contract, proper accounting for oil billions withdrawn from the Natural Resource Fund, and clarity on the expert backing for the US$2B Wales gas-to-Energy project stand as three of the more conspicuous examples of what leave citizens with their mouths open in amazement.  Why would any government feel comfortable continuing with that type of modus operandi?

Considering that there were what could be termed seismic shifts in tradition voting patterns in the now finished September 1^st General and Regional Elections, any winning party, any incoming government, would be very determined to start out on the right foot immediately.  Convening parliament at the earliest would send a clear signal to the population, especially eligible voters, that the leadership means business, and it just wants to get things done right, with the tees crossed and I’s dotted.  Parliament is there to be the screening floor, through which pending and new business developments of the state pass, are given a thorough examination, before any matter could proceed.  Given the parliamentary posture of the government at present, it is obvious that the Ali gang is more committed towards going in the other direction.  It has given itself the equivalent of four months to operate as the sole presence, authority, and decision-maker on matters that could have much impact on the lives of citizens.

We at this paper assert that the president is erring when that four-month parliamentary void is taken the fullest advantage of.  Didn’t the president and his fellow comrades not take note that, though they won, the electorate was not overwhelmed by any of the competing political parties, save for the possible exception of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) phenomenon?  President Ali is on his last term, so he may not be paying too much attention to the threat that WIN poses in 2030.  But there are sure to be others in the PPPC who have their own visions about that battle now five years into the future, and have an interest in doing things by the book from the start.  Parliament is that open book that reveals to all the manner in which Guyana’s business is being conducted.  Sensitive issues are not locked away in the hierarchy of the government, and Guyanese left to deal with a blank slate.  There is parliament convened, and representatives of the people, the various parties that won seats, having their say.  It is unfortunate that the returning government doesn’t seem to have grown any wiser, or intends to carry itself any less arrogantly.

With parliament now on track to get to its work in early November, the question is how much can be done, with the festive season right around the corner.  When Guyanese are in that frame of mind, their attention is focused elsewhere, with less than healthy interest in what their government, or parliament, is doing.  Their summation is that it is only so much noise.  Perhaps, that’s why the government is bent on keeping parliament dark until November.

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