Creating instability
Hoyte’s demands were issued against a background of PNC/R protests and violence unleashed by the dogs of war. In that climate, in March 2001, Hoyte said in a speech to the nation when the demands were presented, “It is therefore the considered view of the leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform that business as usual is neither reasonable nor possible at this time.” This remark and some nefarious activities are quite consistent with other PNC/R ‘s annotations contributing to instability in the society. Here are a few:

The statement by the PNC/R of making the country ungovernable still is being utilized.

A senior PNC/R Central Executive member said that it “is in the business of trying to get the government of the day out of office. There is nothing wrong with any statements which say that as an opposition party, we are attempting to remove the government.”

The ‘kith and kin’ politics, referring to African ethnicity, was used by the PNC/R Leader at the 1997 election.

Jerome Khan, a PNC/R Member of Parliament, cited the case of a senior ranking person of the PNC/R, as suggesting that attacks against East Indians will produce positive outcomes.

Use of the ‘slow fire, more fire’ phrase by the PNC/R during the last election campaign.

There is evidence of a PNC/R electoral candidate for the 2001 election inciting violence.

These inflammatory circumstances as concocted ingredients making for political instability are not characteristic of the functions of a responsible opposition. How can you ask for implementing demands for national development when at the same time you are creating ‘instability’ scenarios? While many of Hoyte’s demands, largely, were addressed through the Jagdeo/Hoyte Dialog which created six Joint Committees, it is instructive to note that Hoyte’s demands, intrinsically, already part of the PPP/C Government’s existing program prior to the 2001 election, would have become a reality anyway without the Dialog.

The 17 demands
Here in a nutshell are the 17 demands: resuscitation of the bauxite industry; immediate enquiry to police brutality; immediate termination of on the monopoly of the radio, and introduce independent management of GTV, GBC, and the Guyana Chronicle; reviving depressed communities; create job-relief programs; end to discrimination on housing and land distribution; providing basic infrastructures for disadvantaged communities; bring an end to the politicization of the public service; introduce local government reform; implement check-off for the PSU; provide guaranteed subventions to Critchlow Labor College; national consensus needed on border and security issues; recapitalization of the GDF a must; introduce tendering and contracting reforms; end all corruption; introduce all-party management of parliamentary affairs; and put into operation all constitutional reforms. I will now review these demands where quite a few overlap with each other. Technically, then, the demands number less than 17.

Resuscitation of the bauxite industry
One of Hoyte’s 17 demands had to do with the resuscitation of the bauxite industry. Exports for mining and quarrying rose from $5.2B in 1991 to $13.9B in 1999. Over the last 10 years, the PPP/C Government provided in excess of US$5M annually to the Linden bauxite operations. The PPP/C Government, prior to the 2001 election, indicated that it will reevaluate lower grade aluminous laterites that were rejected before as a feed source to regional alumina operations, and will aid the exploration of smaller close-to-the-surface deposits by the locals. Efforts, therefore, to resuscitate the bauxite industry and the Linden community started since 1993, and therefore, well before Hoyte made this demand last year.

Bermine now has been privatized through the President’s intervention. Government made available $212M to cover the cost of severance and training. Bermine pays no utility bills, as Government picks up these expenses. With Linmine, Government brokered an agreement with the relevant Unions for the issuance of a ‘separation package’. Region 10 where Linden and Linmine are located, received $219.7M in 2002 to increase the provision of social services. Through Linden Economic Advancement Program (LEAP), 12.5M Euro Dollars are now available to developing the Linden community. At this time, about 50 business proposals have been submitted for funding under LEAP.

Ending state monopoly of the media
Another of Hoyte’s demand had to do with ending the political monopoly of state radio, GTV, GBC, and the Guyana Chronicle. Long before Hoyte spoke about terminating state monopoly of the media, many committees and draft reports were completed in the 1990s, including a Seminar at Hotel Tower in 2000, all focusing on the establishment of a broadcasting authority. While there still is no broadcasting authority, we need to understand that these apriori efforts were part of a significant process to reach that goal. A Joint Committee on Radio Monopoly, Non-Partisan Boards and Broadcasting Legislation was set up last year. Interestingly, some of the earlier documents, indeed, did lay the basis for some discussions in the Joint Committee and a few were even appendicized in the Joint Committee’s report. The Joint Committee’s report was sent to the Attorney General’s Chambers for legal drafting in preparation for Parliament.

Depressed Communities and infrastructures
Another of Hoyte’s demand had to do with meeting the needs of depressed communities. In 1992, about 86% of the people were living below the poverty line. Today, it is about 35%. This poverty reduction happened over the last eight years, and not a year ago since Hoyte made his demands. Poverty is unevenly distributed in this country, and so poverty reduction programmes, initially, will have to touch areas with the highest incidence of poverty, such as, the hinterland and the rural coastal areas. These areas have the highest poverty gap, with the hinterland at 44.9 and rural coastal at 11.3 in 1999. The Dialog subsequently this year designated Non Pariel/Enterprise, De Kinderen, Meten-Meer-Zorg and Buxton as depressed communities. A total of $60M was allocated for electricity, drainage and roads for these areas. But other communities, indeed, with high poverty incidence, will shortly be addressed.

This year’s Budget has allocated about $2B on projects to enhance standard of living of the poor and others. These projects are now being administered through (SIMAP), Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), LEAP, the Poverty Fund, and the Poor Rural Communities Project.

During the PNC ruling era, budget allocations to many African villages were minimal. Today, every sector and community are touched by the PPP/C budget. With respect to the three historic African villages, Victoria, Hopetown, and Buxton, for this year, a total of about $45M was spent on infrastructures. Buxton alone incurred infrastructural costs to the tune of $44.3M this year so far.

Other infrastructural works include rehabilitating Mahaica/Rosignol Road, and constructing 59 bridges between Timehri and Rosignol. Preliminary works to rehabilitate 9 additional bridges and 53 culverts have commenced. This year, $700M was provided to construct a number of farm to market roads. Other works have begun on many roads including Sisters Village, La Retraite, Section “B” Sophia, New Forest, Mon Repos, Kwebanna/Kumaka, Port Kaituma, Golden Fleece, Cotton Field/Aurora, Riverstown, Dartmouth, Goed Intent, Hogg Island, De Amstel, Bare Root, Jonestown, Haslington, Kuru Kuru, Blairmont, Zorg en Hoop, Litchfield, Woodley Park, Ithaca, Letter Kenney/Auchline, Orealla/Siparuta.

Job training
Job training programmes for youth are available, again before Hoyte made his demands last year. At Mid-2002, a sum of $18.4B, provided by the Education, Health, Housing and Water, and Culture, Youth and Sport Ministries, was allocated for youth development in the President’s Youth Choice Initiative programme. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, on its own, currently utilizes $.5B for youth training. Some of the youth programmes aimed at providing job skills and administered under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Office of the President are: Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Programme, The Opportunity Corp., The Angoy Drop-In Center, The President’s Youth Choice Initiative, The President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana Programme, and The Commonwealth Youth Programme. Further, the Private Sector projected that in 2002 about $103M as investment in 67 projects, will generate 3,500 new jobs.

Recapitalizing the Joint Security Forces
The Guyana Defense Force (GDF) has not been neglected, as suggested by Hoyte in one of his 17 demands. We need to note that the recapitalization of the GDF started way back in 1993. For example, in 1990, the GDF’s total budget was a mere G$185.5M, and in 2000, the GDF obtained G$2,396.30B. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in 2002 received a capital budget of $470.5M and a current budget of $2.5B. The GPF has come a long way from the pittance doled out to it in 1991. Clearly, there was tremendous recapitalization happening in the Joint Security Forces long before Hoyte’s demands last year, and, indeed, this recapitalization is continuous.

Housing discrimination
Hoyte ‘s other demand made last year pertained to discrimination in housing. Since, 1992, over 50,000 house lots were distributed. The major ethnic groups have received fundamentally fair proportions on the basis of their respective demographics, as evidenced by the Housing statistics. 91 housing schemes and 65 of the 120 squatter settlements have now been regularized. Also, there is a strategic plan to issue about 7,000 land titles per year. People must not forget that the Ministry of Housing was abolished during the Hoyte regime. Early this year, the Minister presented in March 2002 a White Paper in Parliament, addressing national land distribution policy. The PNC/R needs to debate the issues in this White Paper in Parliament, not in the media outlets.

Local government reform
Local government neglect was a characteristic feature during the PNC’s ruling years. Hoyte has demanded local government reform, but did nothing about it in his years in office. Prior to 1994, the last local government election was held in 1970. Local government election was administered in 1994, and the next election possibly will be held in 2003. Annual subventions are given to local government bodies, and the Amerindian development Fund now is at $310M. The Urban Development Program, initiated in 2000, and comprising US$25M, is currently being implemented to upgrade the towns. The PPP/C Manifesto 2001 stipulated that that the Local Government Act, Chapter 28:02 will be amended to give greater autonomy to Neighborhood Democratic Councils. Also, earmarked for revision in the Manifesto 2001 is the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01, which will give autonomy to municipal councils.

A Joint Committee on Local Government Reform was established through the Dialog. This Committee’s findings and recommendations are still being compiled. However, the Committee’s term of office expired in May 2002, and an extension of three months is being sought from President Jagdeo and Mr. Hoyte to complete the Report. At this time, consideration of an extension will not happen as Hoyte has placed the Dialog on pause.

Constitutional amendments
Hoyte in his demands asked for the implementation of constitutional reforms. But his party’s absence from Parliament has impeded the Amendment’s form and content in reality. A number of constitutional amendments, showing the emergent structures for inclusiveness, were passed. Some of these were as follows:

The Constitution (Amendment) (Nno.2) Act 200. This Amendment created five (5) Constitutional Commissions. These Commissions represent another component making for inclusiveness. They are the Ethnic relations Commission, Indigenous People’s Commission, Commission for the Rights of the Child, Commission for Human Rights, and Women and Gender Equality Commission.

The Constitution (Amendment) (No. 6) Act 2001. The Constitution was amended at Article 119A. The amendment provides for the establishment of a Parliamentary Standing Committee for Constitutional Reform, aimed at frequently reviewing the efficacy of the functioning of the Constitution. All members of Parliament are eligible for membership.

The Constitution was amended at Article 119B. This Amendment provides for the establishment of parliamentary sectoral committees providing oversight to Government policy and administration, including: natural resources; economic services; foreign relations; and social services. Again, all Parties in Parliament are eligible for membership.

The Constitution (Amendment) (No. 4) Act 2001. This Amendment repealed and reenacted Article 13 of the Constitution. The Amendment provides for the political system of the state to set up an inclusionary democracy, enabling citizen participation. The recently-concluded CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Guyana initiated civil society participation for the first time in such conferences. President Jagdeo, the new Chairman of CARICOM for the next six months, enabled one day to be set aside for the theme, ‘Encounter with Civil Society’.

The Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2001. Article 71 of the Constitution was altered to enable local government to engage many people in governance.

Article 78B was inserted in the Constitution. The electoral system below the Regional Democratic Councils provides for the participation, representation, and accountability of individuals and voluntary groups to the voters. These individuals and groups are in addition to the political parties.

All these constitutional amendments help to expand the structures of inclusiveness, albeit that a few are now becoming operational. Parliament will have to initiate discussions on these Amendments to give meaning and life to their applications. The PNC/R’s absence from Parliament retards the social growth of the Amendments.

Reforming the tendering and contracting procedures
Again, Hoyte has asked for reforms to the tendering procedures. The Constitution requires the Auditor General to annually submit reports of public accounts to Parliament. This requirement was not met for about 10 years prior to 1992. Since 1992, audited annual reports of public accounts have been submitted to Parliament. The Central Tender Board Secretariat was installed, with public consultations held with contractors and consultants to improve the tendering and procurement mechanism. The Government subsequently applied several measures, as, public opening of tenders, examining and auditing the tender process by the Office of the Auditor General, nominating independent evaluators, presenting written evaluations, and scheduling frequent meetings of the tender boards. Clearly’ a number of reforms to the tendering practices has occurred prior to Hoyte’s demands made last year.

Insular politics
We need to understand that this Administration is still working through its term in office, and at this time, is under two years old. The PPP/C Administration still has considerable tasks to complete, tasks that are embellished in its Party Manifesto 2001. Hoyte made his demands through his 17-point plan to construct a perception for his supporters to believe that he still commanded the reigns of leadership in his party and still can drive the nation-building process through his own image of statesmanship. However, Hoyte was enabled this opportunity to renew and reaffirm his statesmanship through the Dialog. Indeed, he squandered this significant occasion to rise above the fray of partisan and insular politics to reach and embrace the acme of nationalism. The insularity is exposed through the demands purporting to provide maximum benefits only to PNC/R supporters and to attract crass populism.

At any rate, several of Hoyte’s demands made last year were not novel, as they already were incorporated into the PPP/C Administration’s program well before 2001 election and well before Hoyte told the nation of his so-called ground-breaking plan. In any case, the PPP/C Government is moving apace to fulfill its mandate of nation building, amid the tactics of an irresponsible opposition.