Can the Granger-Nagamootoo combination achieve national unity?

Jun 08, 2015 News

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By Kiana Wilburg

Ethnic division in Guyana remains a neglected issue; a topic not deeply discussed for fear of brewing toxic tensions. In recent years, attempts by the government to address this cancer have been ineffective.
But the new administration, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC),  is optimistic that with its game changing plans, not only can national unity be achieved in its first term, but to a noteworthy degree at that.
But can the new administration really achieve this within five years? How much of a priority is national unity to the party and is the attainment of this hinged on the level or extent to which it’s economic goals are achieved?
President David Granger says that first and foremost, his party is one which is grounded on the ideals of national cohesion.
“The APNU+AFC believes that national unity is an issue that has been neglected for too long. It needs special attention. Our coalition includes six different parties and we believe strongly in tackling this issue frontally, hence the creation of the Ministry of Social Cohesion which is headed by Ms. Amna All,” Granger said.

“Without a doubt there have been ethnic problems in the country and this entity will be working towards achieving a higher level of unity. We need someone specifically dedicated to that. We want to foster greater cohesion in our party as well, so the Minister has a great responsibility, countrywide and within the coalition.”
He believes that national unity can be attained to some degree in his first term.
The Minister of Social Cohesion told Kaieteur News yesterday that she agrees implicitly with the President. She acknowledged that while Guyana is a racially divided country, this is usually predominant during the election season.
“But we believe that we can bridge that gap significantly in our first term. As Minister for that area, there are a number of things which I plan to do to foster a sense of national unity. And to be quite frank with you, I think that the presence of our party , its composition and our display of maturity have all shown that we aren’t just here to simply talk about addressing national unity but we are an example of it. So from a leadership standpoint we have the make up to foster the right environment for national unity. Now there are a number of things I plan to do to get the ball rolling,” Ally said.
The Minister said that she has plans to develop a programme for achieving national unity which will involve establishing a subcommittee which will involve certain stakeholders.
“We are also looking at hosting a forum with faith based organizations. We believe that getting the religious leaders involved in the unity programme will also help the healing process. This will be done within the first 100 days of the APNU+AFC being in government.”

Ally expressed much confidence that her programmes in the pipeline will certainly help to achieve national unity.
But political activist, Dr. David Hinds, does not believe that the APNU+AFC government can achieve national unity in its first term. Hinds in an interview with Kaieteur News opined that above all things, national unity is a process that takes time; it involves the bringing together of people in their day to day lives in both formal and informal ways.
He noted however that he does believe that the APNU+AFC has a wonderful opportunity to govern as a government of national unity. He said that the last time Guyana was this close to such a government was in 1953 and said that the APNU+AFC government is a good example of what a government of national unity should look like— it includes six parties representing varying ideological systems and ethnic groups.
The University professor opined that national unity however, cannot be achieved if the new administration does not make a real and concerted effort to reach out to its opposition—The People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He reminded that this party represents a large portion of the Guyanese populace.
He said that the APNU+AFC government must demonstrate that it can govern without bias and in so doing, make every effort to facilitate a frank discussion in the society on the question of race and ethnicity.
Hinds said that the new government should not be directly involved in this discussion, but should create the space so that ethnic organizations like the Indian Arrival Committee, the Amerindian Peoples Association, the Cuffy 250 Movement and the African Cultural and Development Association can spearhead the conversation on the ethnic wounds in the society and how these can be healed.
“So in short, the APNU+AFC government needs to facilitate an open discussion and govern fairly. It must also reach out to the PPP. But if the PPP does not cooperate then it will make the job of achieving many of their goals including national consensus, very difficult,” he said.
Hinds also contended that the relationship between the achievement of national consensus and the economic goals of the new administration should not be underestimated.
He said that there are several factors which have held the nation back from achieving varying levels of economic development. He said that the primary factor has been the lack of national cohesion and national purpose. Hinds argued that the APNU+AFC’s economic plans can be largely achieved once national consensus is also seen as equally important.
He said that the effects of the failure to do this have been well documented under the previous administration and cited the ailing sugar industry as a good example.
“The PPP is gearing up to use the sugar as part of its non-cooperation… meanwhile; there is the debate over what to do with sugar. The economy is ethnically grounded and we have to ensure that there is ethnic consensus if the policies of the new government are to be successful,” Dr. Hinds said.
“The challenge will be if the PPP is willing to cooperate or not with the new administration in achieving this. If they don’t cooperate, the government would have to go straight to the people. Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, have the potential to speak to the sugar workers but in the end the PPP is pivotal to working out a sensible sugar policy.”
Asked whether the PPP would be willing to join with the new government in achieving this necessary national goal, the Party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee said, “I can’t say.”
He added, “We don’t notice any reaching out to us in this regard from the APNU+AFC.  We have just been seeing a lot of witch hunting, victimization and harassment of our supporters and senseless attacks. It has to stop. They are just dismissing people for no reason at all.”
Rohee, after expressing those sentiments, was not keen on considering the possibility of the party working with the new administration, even in the near or distant future.

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