OPINION: Third Force operations have failed miserably in Guyana

Last Updated on Sunday, 14 January 2024, 8:04 by Denis Chabrol

By Dr. Randy Persaud, Professor Emeritus

I read Tony Vieira’s letter calling for a Third Force several times. I give Mr. Vieira full credit for not reducing Guyana’s politics, and especially its voting behavior, to that most predictable of the lazy scholar’s last resort, namely race. That said, Vieira’s call for a Third Force is deeply problematic. Allow me to elaborate.

The first point to note is that according to Vieira’s own historical review we have had a Third Force on more than one occasion in Guyana. The UF from 1964 through 1973 was an active political and social force in this country. The UF joined with the PNC to oust the PPP. It did what a Third Force is expected to do. The fact that it was betrayed by Burnham and the PNC points to the real issue in our political configuration. This is, that the PNC throughout its entire history, has always embraced rigged elections and authoritarian tactics as integral dimensions of their raison d’ etre. That is what needs to change, and that is what Vieira should call for.

To proceed with my refutation of Vieira’s claims and propositions, it is best to quote him in order that there is not misrepresentation. Here he is in his own words:

“…if the AFC understood their role as a Third Force, they should have immediately voted “No Confidence” and demand to be a proper Third Force, with the legislative power to moderate and control the PPP. They did not. The AFC had the entire ball game in their hands in 2011, and they did not have the knowledge or intelligence to play the power game they won.” (SN 1/12/2024).

Vieira has it wrong here. The AFC could not on its own have called a No Confidence vote. They simply did not have that kind of autonomy with only 7 seats. The truth is that the AFC joined with the APNU to disrupt the proper function of government by consistently using their combined one-seat majority to stifle the PPPC’s development agenda.

The larger point here is that the AFC had all the makings of a Third Force, but the combination of human nature (selfishness and security) and political logic (survival) forced them to do what the UF had done decades before, namely join up with the authoritarian social and political forces to remain viable. The claim that Ramjattan would have been some kind of political saint is just hot air, as it has no evidentiary basis whatsoever.

The goal of every political party is to gain political power. That is not a dreadful thing, because without power, good policies cannot be developed and put into action. The idea that a new Third Force should not focus on executive power is naïve, and I can assure Vieira that no one will take him seriously on that proposition.

A credible claim could be made that the WPA has also been a Third Force. What is of interest here is that the WPA has historically operated from a position of not wanting power, which is exactly what Vieira is demanding. The WPA’s record since the turn of the century, however, should give pause not only to Vieira, but all those who pretentiously claim not to be interested in political power. The same WPA is among the most disruptive, counterproductive, and divisive forces in this country.

The AFC as a Third Force displayed its internal core between 2015 and 2020 when it joined APNU in a horrific five years of poor governance. Thousands of sugar workers were fired; two hundred taxes were placed on the shoulders of citizens; farmers were massively penalized with hiked-up fees; the Office of the President became a military/police outpost, students had their Because We Care grant snatched; 2000 CSOs from the Amerindian villages were fired; major projects such as a US$ 54 million specialty hospital disappeared without proper accounting for the vast sums in question; the Amalia Falls hydro project was killed; and then the worst was yet to come. It was Trotman of the AFC who signed the oil contracts that left us in a precarious position with little room for maneuver; and it was the AFC (Vieira’s Third Force) that was fully participant in a naked attempt to rig the national and regional elections of 2020.

Finally, I encourage Vieira to bring lawsuits against anyone who is “looting the treasury” (SN 1/12/2024). I also encourage Vieira and others who want more effective governance to prevail on the APNU and their overseas associates to step away from their politics of browbeating, bullyism, and election thievery. More than anything else, the focus should be on the record of the political parties. That includes the current Third Force party, the AFC. To date, their record is one of unconscionable collusion with authoritarianism.

Dr. Randy Persaud is Adviser, International Affairs, Office of the President, Guyana.