Does the President know what people want?

Jun 24, 2008 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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While in New York to launch Carifesta, President Jagdeo made some curious political observations that he would be hard pressed to expand on and defend if he was facing the right type of media.

First, in support of Guyana having an actively non-racial sociology, the President told his audience that if you go to the bars, you would see racial intermingling.

In the field of analysis, such a variable would hardly be taken into consideration when one is trying to ascertain if a society has racial schisms.

One can dismiss this defence by contending that throughout Guyanese history, the races have always interacted with each other.

What the President did not go on to say is that people want an end to racist suspicion and racist behaviour but that the two major parties are the perpetrators of this racist feeling. When they are in power, they practise a type of politics that put the races against each other.

Is there anyone who can deny that East Indians under Burnham’s 21 years rule (The Hoyte period is exempted) did not feel discriminated against. Is there anyone out there who will reject the contention that Africans do not have a sense of marginalization?

One of the perplexing problems in the study of Guyanese history is that there are many analysts (including this writer) who posit the theory that there has never been any hardened racist instinct in Guyanese politics.

The inevitable dilemma of the PPP and PNC is that since their very existence stems from ethnic constituencies; power can only be maintained by using that power to ingratiate themselves with their constituencies.

The result of this is racial discrimination. We haven’t moved away from that kind of political culture since the fifties. One intriguing motif of Guyanese sociology is the celebration of the achievement of our races.

Go to the National Park on Emancipation Day (August 1) and you will see nearly all the PNC bigwigs on display. These leaders are closely aligned to African rights organizations and African cultural associations.

On May 5, when Guyana celebrates the arrival of the East Indians, the PPP is the protagonist in the preparation of the activities. The PPP went too far and invented an Indian organization named, the Indian Arrival Committee.

Until the world comes to an end, the PNC and PPP kings and queens are going to tell people in whichever country they meet them that Guyana has no racial syndrome.

We who lived in Guyana during the PNC reign saw the race monster at work for 21 years. We, who are still living in Guyana since 1992, are witnessing the newer version of the race monster. It will continue because both parties derive their biology from race constituencies.

The more interesting part of the President’s delivery is that he says that more than 95 per cent of the population want to work and live together.

But what do the Guyanese people want to make their lives better? They want a country that has a viable economy that will bring them an income that can make their lives meaningful.

When they compare their income with the rest of the Caribbean they take flight. Those who remain have to endure on resources that cannot do.

The world is in a food crisis where essential foods have gone beyond the reach of the poorer classes. No humaneness was shown to them by our Government. The poorer folks were given a top-up of $4,000 until. Then the mischief was revealed.

Only those working with the Ministries were given the $4,000 goodie.
It was an act of extreme insensitivity when you think of the thousands that work with the wider public sector. How can any Government be so uncaring?

What do the people of Guyana want? They are looking for a Government that is open, transparent, democratic and responsive to their demands. They want to see corrupt government officials brought before the courts. They want to see their leaders tell the truth about secrets in dark corridors.

Exactly what went on in the Sanata deal; exactly what went on with the Roger Khan saga; exactly what is going on in side the GRA. They want to see teachers and nurses get a pay that can enable them to live.

They want to see Guyana become a modern nation with an educational system fitted out with working laboratories and qualified teachers. They want to tune in to a radio station of their choice.

When President Jagdeo goes abroad and addresses Guyanese, you never hear these issues discussed. Foolish people in the audience stay silent.

No one gets up and asks him what is wrong with Guyana having more than one radio station. No one asks him why he cannot guarantee electricity supply.
Does President Jagdeo know what the Guyanese people want? I can tell him.

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