IT IS not unusual for the opposition forces in Guyana to demand chunks of executive power.

Wanting to perform the functions of government has been the trade mark of the opposition elements for a number of years now. Most recently, their clamour for chairpersonships of parliamentary committees is noted.

The opposition, by definition, has to perform the functions of the opposition in this or any parliamentary system of government.

What are some principles of a parliamentary system?

· The Parliament is elected by the citizens of this country.

· The executive power of the state is exercised through the Cabinet.

· The Cabinet controls executive power as long as the government commands the majority of votes in Parliament.

· The opposition is part of the legislature.

These are some of the principles that characterise the system of government in Guyana today. The principles determine the rules of the governance process, one of which is that the will of the people determines which party forms the government.

The opposition has a useful contributory role to play in enhancing the governance process mainly through committee systems, questions, and motions in parliament. But it does not constitutionally perform the functions of government.

In the traditional parliamentary system, the separation of power among legislature (parliament), executive (government), and the judiciary (courts, judges, etc.), is blurred.

In this situation, the executive and the legislature mainly comprise the same people. Even in the U.S. presidential system, the doctrine of the separation of power as a characteristic of the American Constitution, does on occasions, become nebulous.

For instance, take a case when the President (Executive) vetoes an act of Congress (legislature).
Given this tenuous application of the separation of power in both the parliamentary and presidential systems, any democratically-elected government (executive), therefore, would want to pursue chairpersonships and inclusions of ministers in the committees in parliament.

The opposition's role is mainly played out through the legislature.

In Guyana, the proposed sectoral committee system would give the opposition an opportunity to make considerable inputs to the governance process through possibly having five members out of a total of 11 and bagging the deputy chairperson's position, on each committee.

Credible, valid, and reliable constitutional and democratic precedence must inform the work of any fragile democracy. Guyana stands to benefit from such arrangements in the long-run.

AIMS OF AN OPPOSITION
Some of the goals of an opposition in a parliamentary system of government are:

· To be a factor in policy formulation and legislation through constructive criticism;

· To oppose the Government's proposals it views as objectionable;

· To promote its own policies, in order to improve its chances of being successful at the next election.

The opposition can execute this role, both by debating the issues and placing questions and motions in parliament, and through the committee system.

But the opposition cannot seek to usurp the executive power of any democratically-elected government through veiled threats and unscrupulous demands for sharing chairs on the committees.

A COMMITTEE SYSTEM
Parliamentary committees provide a strategic link between the parliament, the executive, and the public.

Two possible reasons can be advanced for setting up committees: need for watchfulness by the legislature on the actions of the executive, and the sheer volume of work in the legislature necessitates passing some of these activities on to a committee system which may very well have expertise on the matters at hand.

In addressing issues, a committee can possibly take four actions to support parliamentary work:

· The committee can ask relevant executives agencies for written comments on an issue.

· The committee can hold hearings to collect information and observations from outside experts on an issue.

· The committee can revise an issue through amendments made at its meetings.

· The committee's report is presented to parliament.

The proposed composition of the parliamentary committee system is based on broad-based political coalitions. These broad-based committees also have a role to play in advancing the democratisation process, thus:

· They will assist in the participation of citizens through hearings in the political process.

· They will provide an emerging consensus on the 'what' and 'how' of the nation.

· They will add a new momentum and a resultant expansion in the government's support for democratisation.

· They will be the foundation for the government's interest and effort in democratisation.

· They will contribute to peace and security among ethnic groups, securing justice and human rights, and advancing economic and social development.

· They will enable citizens to see the transparency and accountability of the government.

· They will create a political culture, which essentially is non-violent where no one ethnic group expects to win or lose continuously.

· They will reinforce a democratic political life where the will of the people is the basis of governmental authority.

If the committee system can deepen the democratisation process as is indicated here, let the committees take off now.

The electoral rules of engagement in the March 19 elections this year, as agreed by the opposition, have determined that the PPP/C should form the Government.

That is exactly what has happened.

Now the demands for chairpersonships by the opposition flagrantly violate these rules of engagement, especially in a parliamentary system of government.

In both the presidential and parliamentary committee systems in strong democracies, the ruling party, generally, has the majority of members on each committee, and selects the chairperson for each committee.

In these cases, the opposition is not the government.