[Editor's Note: Posted here are an editorial and a letter (from ROAR) regarding the new political concept of Centre Force.]

A few weeks ago Mr. Ravi Dev, the leader of ROAR, raised the idea of a centre force. He said it would seek to occupy the political, social and cultural ground between the PPP and the PNC. The existing parties GAP, WPA, ROAR and JFAP could be joined by other parties now in formation and "other committed Guyanese."

Mr. Dev wrote in his letter captioned "Roar is prepared to work in a new Centre Force": "What would be the ground rules for a Centre Force? Firstly, they should not get together simply to deny the PPP or the PNC the government. This would result in an arrangement of convenience that would quickly and acrimoniously fall asunder. They will have to be committed to a common programme. This does not mean they agree on each and every point. That they are different parties means that they do not. There's nothing wrong with this...and in fact there's everything right with it. No one party has all the answers for Guyana - the PPP and the PNC have proven that.

"The way forward is a confederation of parties, where they keep their identities as they work together to craft a common and truly national programme (because of their diversity) for Guyana. In the crafting of such a programme it is possible (and in our estimation quite likely) that much common ground can be found. But it will also demonstrate that there would be compromises that all of us will have to make.

"This Centre Force (the surveys of ROAR project) can deny both the PPP and the PNC a majority in Parliament. By the rules of our Constitution, whichever party wins the election would need the support of the Centre Force in Parliament to even sneeze. The Centre Force, in a most principled way can then force both behemoths to work for the good of Guyana, not just their narrow partisan interest, based on the programme of the Force."

Based on the results of the last elections, of course, a coalition of the small parties would not have prevented a PPC majority as that party obtained over 52% of the vote. To make such a coalition viable and to give it the momentum needed to capture enough of the vote, say 10%, to prevent any party gaining a majority two things would be needed, some new faces and a clear, dynamic programme.

There are two obvious candidates who could provide the boost a centre force requires and they are Khemraj Ramjattan and Raphael Trotman. Both are politicians, the former having the edge in terms of experience, and both are widely respected as men of good faith with a mind of their own. They both displayed qualities of integrity and independence in their parties that were unusual and attractive.

A centre force with these two men among its leaders would surely attract public attention and support and with a moderate and well targeted campaign would raise the prospect of breaking the stranglehold of the two main parties. But who will do the hard work of getting interested persons together for exploratory talks and of crafting a minimum programme that would be attractive and likely to be acceptable? Two obvious candidates for that job are Mr. Dev himself, who raised the idea, and Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine who has considerable political experience.

A centre force coalition including some of the above persons and parties could make the next elections much more interesting and unpredictable than at present seems likely to be the case"
—Stabroek News, editorial titled "Centre Force," 1/22/2005

ROAR is prepared to work in a new Centre Force

Dear Editor,

In Guyana, our tragedies historically have been associated with elections. We have an election scheduled less than two years away. What are we doing to avert another "tsunami" of violence?

If we take time to listen, we will hear the war drums already being beaten. Already deep in their election campaign, the PPP says that the only outstanding electoral issue in Guyana is "geographical representation". The PNC has countered that there are far wider concerns that must be addressed - including the matter of a credible electoral database - before "free and fair" elections can be held. ROAR entered the political realm to place on the national agenda, two home truths: that our present politics are dominated by ethnic insecurities and that we have to create a political system that would accommodate all the chosen representatives of the various groups in Guyana to deal with those insecurities.

The first truth is now generally accepted by all and sundry - including most of the political representatives. The second is also generally acceptedâ€¦so what's the problem? The problem is one of power. The PPP believes that it can address ethnic insecurities by its co-option of ethnic individuals - Sam Hinds, Henry Jeffrey, Carolyn Rodrigues, et al. never mind the "Civic" label. We all know this has not resolved anything. The PNC appears to have acknowledged that its "Reform" imitation of the "Civic" did not fit the bill - hence its new coalition-centred "Big Tent" proposal.

ROAR believes that the latter proposal also falls short - even if enough water had flowed under the bridge for the PNC to attract credible coalition partners, which it has not - since the PPP would still be out of the tent. It is unlikely to expect that Guyana will have social peace if either of the two major parties is out of the picture. It is also improbable to expect that any other party will displace either of them at the next election. So how do we avert our tsunami?

ROAR believes it is time for a "Centre Force" to be created and nurtured. What is this Centre Force? For one, it's not a "Third Force" that feels it can wish away the PPP and PNC. It's a Force that should seek to occupy the political, social, and cultural ground between the PPP and PNC - hence "Centre". Today in Guyana, there are a number of political parties outside the ambit of the PPP and the PNC - ROAR, GAP, WPA, JFAP, etc. that can begin the process of creating this Centre Force. These could be joined by the parties now in formation by other committed Guyanese. What would be some of the incentives for these parties to work together?

Firstly, the ineffectuality of the opposition (including the PNC) to influence the formation of policy should be an object lesson to those who believe that "Westminster" politics can work in Guyana. Secondly, the experience of The United Force both with the PNC (1964-1968) and PPP (2001-present) demonstrates the inadvisability of the smaller parties seeking a coalition arrangement with either the PPP or the PNC. There's the matter of "the disequilibrium of size" when it comes to coalitions between parties of vastly different strengths. It matters not the good intentions of the parties to the coalitions. If a mosquito joins forces with an elephant it should not be surprised when it is taken for granted or even ignored during crucial decisions. There's the iron law of oligarchy - in all organizations power will accrete in the hands of a few - and we can be sure the few won't come from the ranks of the mosquitoes.

What would be the ground rules for a Centre Force? Firstly, they should not get together simply to deny the PPP or the PNC the government. This would result in an arrangement of convenience that would quickly and acrimoniously fall asunder. They will have to be committed to a common programme. This does not mean they agree on each and every point. That they are different parties means that they do not. There's nothing wrong with thisâ€¦and in fact there's everything right with it. No one party has all the answers for Guyana - the PPP and the PNC have proven that.

The way forward is a confederation of parties, where they keep their identities as they work together to craft a common and truly national programme (because of their diversity) for Guyana. In the crafting of such a programme it is possible (and in our estimation quite likely) that much common ground can be found. But it will also demonstrate that there would be compromises that all of us will have to make.

This Centre Force (the surveys of ROAR project) can deny both the PPP and the PNC a majority in Parliament. By the rules of our Constitution, whichever party wins the election would need the support of the Centre Force in Parliament to even sneeze. The Centre Force, in a most principled way can then force both behemoths to work for the good of Guyana, not just their narrow partisan interest, based on the programme of the Force.

ROAR is prepared to work in such a Centre Force to prevent a tsunami of ethnic violence in 2006.

—Ravi Dev, MP, Leader ROAR (letter in Stabroek News, 1/13/2005)