Among the series of CARICOM meetings in Port-of-Spain in which he participated, Jagdeo and his Community colleagues had to grapple with "options for governance" at the regional level to enhance the prospects for a Caribbean Single Market and Economy and fostering a mood for political integration.

The "governance" concepts to be addressed at the national level in Guyana are quite different to "governance options" for CARICOM.

Here, the focus revolves around talk about possible executive power-sharing or "inclusive governance".

The Guyanese people have been exposed to differing positions from both of the major contenders for power - the PPP/C and the PNC/R - as well as from representatives of the minority parties, social commentators and some civil society people.

Writing this column in Port-of-Spain before the curtain came down on the 14th Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM heads of government, it crossed my mind that for the resumed dialogue process between the PPP/C and PNC/R to make desired progress, sustained efforts must be made to avoid `spinning top in mud’, as Trinidadians say.

That, in the current context of Guyana, simply means not getting bogged down over the concept of executive power-sharing, as originally made public last December by the PNC/R.

To judge from his comments that coincided with his overwhelming endorsement as the new PNC/R leader, Corbin seems to realise that the PPP/C is not now inclined toward that direction.

Last weekend’s “position paper" presented at State House by President Jagdeo in which he advocated "greater inclusive governance" and urged the "building of trust" between the major parties, could only reinforce the view that to spend quality time at this period discussing executive power-sharing would indeed be `spinning top in mud’.

Immediate objectives
In the circumstances, therefore, it may be prudent, practical, for the resumed PPP/C-PNC/R dialogue which the late Desmond Hoyte had placed on "pause" a year ago, must seek to resolve more immediate and relevant issues that by themselves could stimulate the element of "trust" that has been so elusive for the PPP/C and PNC/R.

In what another section of the local media had published last December as the PNC/R's `blueprint for shared governance’, requiring a multi-party cabinet and a non-executive President, was to be dismissed last weekend by Jagdeo, on behalf of the PPP/C, as unrealistic in the existing political situation.

When Hoyte addressed last August’s biennial congress of the PNC/R, he had urged the party's delegates to begin readjusting their thinking and behaviour to meet the peculiar national situation.

He said: "An adjusted system of governance for our country - whether we call it 'power sharing', 'shared governance'; 'inclusive governance' or any other name - appears to be an idea whose time has come....

"We should not shy away from examining possible modalities", he added, "for a transformed system of governance that meets the needs of our peculiar situation. Nor should we be diffident as a party about putting forward proposals as part of any national debate on this subject".

I am not aware that the PNC/R ever formally submitted to the PPP/C for consideration what had been reported as the party's `blueprint for shared governance’. I cannot recall any invitation from the PNC/R to the PPP/C to engage in constructive dialogue on its idea for executive power-sharing.

What is known is that President Jagdeo has spoken with much clarity on his party's position against executive power-sharing and has requested that the PPP/C's position paper that reaffirmed, instead, "greater inclusive governance", be circulated not only to the PNC/R, but all Members of Parliament and leaders of civil society.

Political cooperation
The PPP/C's position in favour of "building trust to achieve genuine political cooperation" and incorporating a significant component of "inclusive governance", has been outlined against a background, as stated by Jagdeo, of his party's pioneering role in "constitutional reform and good governance".

It would not be easy to ignore the specific examples outlined in the PPP/C's position paper on constitutional reform measures and improved governance. Those examples led it to the bold conclusion that, as stated:

“These (the achievements itemised) and other reforms make the Guyana Constitution the most advanced in terms of inclusiveness and (parliamentary) opposition involvement in governance in the Caribbean region, and certainly one of the most advanced in the world..."

A 'mouthful indeed', as the saying goes. So confident and encouraged by the steps taken by his party, that President Jagdeo requested that copies be made available for all heads of government of CARICOM.

The PPP/C's specific response to the PNC/R's earlier talk about executive power-sharing is, that quite apart from "the negative consequences" associated with it, such as the "institutionalisation of ethnic rivalry and absence of political opposition, no contrived system of governance will succeed in a situation where trust and good faith do not exist between the political parties..."

One does not have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate the validity of such an argument, since "trust" is a sine qua non, an absolute requirement for the political parties to cooperate in extricating Guyana from the social and political problems that have plagued it for far too long.

It is a time for "all hands on deck", if I may borrow a line from the lyrics of a Barbadian calypsonian, to do what's possible to encourage the mood for the resumed dialogue between the PPP/C and the PNC/R to be characterised by a spirit of trust that could eventually lead to a quality of "inclusive governance" and, who knows, even shared governance!

But of immediate relevance, for instance, is the return of the PNC/R to Parliament and the agreements to be reached on the composition and functioning of the parliamentary committees.