Inclusionary democracy is a national imperative

Dear Editor,

Guyana has arrived at a defining moment in its history. The country is becoming extraordinarily wealthy from its natural resources, while its people remain politically and ethnically divided and increasingly confronted with decisions that will determine who benefits from that wealth and how it is used.

This is why inclusionary democracy is a national imperative, and the time to give it legislative force is now.

Article 13 of the Constitution provides the foundation:

“The principal objective of the political system of the State is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens, and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their well-being.”

Guyana cannot continue to ignore this vital component of its political system while large sections of the population remain spectators to decisions affecting their economic future, communities, livelihoods and the management of the nation’s unprecedented wealth.

Equal and equitable participation- as constitutionally mandated- must mean that no one is left behind. People whose lives are affected by decisions of the State must have meaningful avenues to influence those decisions. Their organisations must have a voice. Their leaders must be sitting at the decision-making table, not standing outside waiting to be consulted after decisions have already been made.

That is particularly urgent in a nation where avarice, self-interest and greed increasingly appear to stalk the corridors of power; where deep political and social divisions persist; and where petroleum wealth has transformed Guyana’s economic fortunes on a scale beyond anything in the country’s history.

The wealth generated from Guyana’s natural resources belongs to the nation. Its management therefore cannot become the exclusive preserve of whichever political party wins an election.

An electoral victory confers the mandate to govern, not a blank cheque to govern without restraint. Democracy demands more than the arithmetic of victory; it demands inclusion, accountability and meaningful respect for those outside the governing majority.

Winner-takes-all politics becomes profoundly dangerous when the stakes are no longer small. Guyana is now presiding over unprecedented oil revenues and an economy being transformed at breathtaking speed. Decisions made today will determine the fortunes, opportunities and freedoms of generations yet unborn.

The greater the wealth, the greater the need for transparency, accountability, participation and consensus.

That is why the Guyana Trades Union Congress has consistently demanded concrete legislative action and has put forward proposals to make inclusionary democracy a reality.^[1] Parliament should seriously consider a constitutional and legislative requirement that the National Appropriation Bill receive two-thirds approval.

Such a safeguard would make unilateral control of the national purse far more difficult, compelling the Government and Opposition to negotiate priorities, subject public spending to rigorous scrutiny, and engage civil society in determining how Guyana’s wealth is invested and distributed. The national treasury must never become the political property of whoever controls the Executive and/or commands a parliamentary majority.

The same principle must apply to local government. Articles 75 and 77 of the Constitution provide for autonomous local democratic organs and funding to enable regions to implement their development programmes.^[2] Those provisions must become reality.

Autonomy without resources is not autonomy. Municipalities, towns, villages and regions must have the authority and financial capacity to make decisions for their communities without being perpetually dependent on the political discretion of central government.

Organised labour must also have a legitimate and meaningful seat at the national decision-making table. Guyana has two national trade union federations, and both should have appropriate representation on State authorities and bodies responsible for labour, economic and social policy—including institutions such as the Natural Resource Fund and Guyana Development Bank.

This is not a demand for trade unions to govern the country. It is a demand for democratic inclusion. Workers whose labour drives the economy should not be spectators when decisions are made about wages, employment, development, national wealth and the future of their families.

If decisions are made in the name of the people, the people must have a voice in making them. That is consistent with the principle of democratic participation reflected in Articles 13 and 149C of the Constitution.^[3]

There is an even greater reason for urgency. Guyana is changing rapidly. Foreign capital, foreign workers and other foreign nationals are entering the country as the economy expands. The country has also entered into arrangements under which people deported from the United States are being accepted into Guyana.

These developments raise legitimate questions about immigration, employment, security, social services, housing, community relations and national resources. Such decisions cannot be left to government alone. They require national conversation and meaningful participation by the people and organisations affected.

This fierce urgency of now demands action. If Guyana waits until the current transformation is complete, the opportunity to build inclusive, accountable institutions alongside economic transformation may already have passed.

Where the Government falls short, the Opposition must do more than criticise. It must pursue concrete legislation and reform to give practical force to Article 13: require two-thirds parliamentary approval of the national budget; guarantee genuine financial and administrative autonomy for local democratic organs; ensure fair representation of both national trade union federations on appropriate State bodies; and establish stronger mechanisms for citizens and their organisations to participate meaningfully in national decision-making.

But these reforms must rise above partisan politics. They must not be weapons designed against one government or instruments to benefit another. They must bind every government—including any government the Opposition may form tomorrow.

Guyana’s extraordinary oil wealth presents an extraordinary responsibility. It must become the foundation for shared prosperity, stronger institutions and greater national inclusion—not another source of political division and exclusion. The constitutional promise has been made. Now Guyana must give that promise teeth.

References

1. Guyana’s Wealth Demands Inclusionary Democracy—Now – Village Voice News — villagevoicenews.com ↩
2. Local government financing and democracy - Stabroek News — www.stabroeknews.com ↩
3. Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana | Observatory on Principle 10 — observatoriop10.cepal.org ↩