Guyana has come a long way democratically but certain institutional areas are still muzzled

Nov 06, 2008 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Let me the address the responses and comments from the various letter writers on the abbreviated proposal for Berbice to secede in the SN letter column a week ago.

Interestingly, this letter will be published in a press in Georgetown rather than anywhere else in underdeveloped Berbice.

Some have questioned why SN published my letter while others have asked the state to intervene. This is rather unfortunate, if not ridiculous, but expected.

These comments, however, speak to the reality of the freedom of expression in Guyana, which is still really a delicate issue.

At the maximum level, freedom of expression in Guyana is evolving and this effort must be nurtured and nourished for it is forward-looking.

The country has indeed come a long way democratically but certain institutional areas are still muzzled.
Therefore, I am not totally surprised that some would even challenge the idea of Berbice secession to be remotely heard.

This is suddenly against the law, inciting mischief. Of course, these letter writers are also entitled to the same freedom of expression.

Instead of attacking me, let us continue the debate on why Berbice should secede or not in a respectful and academic manner.

Let me also say that the proposal to secede has nothing to do with African slavery and the underdevelopment of Guyana.

It is acknowledged that Africans, like other ethnic groups, have contributed meaningfully to Guyana. Notice that one letter writer mentioned nothing about indentureship but only slavery.

Additionally, the proposal to secede does not claim to be pro-Indian or anti-African as so suggested by some in blogs and elsewhere. This is total nonsense.

I do not understand why some will jump to the conclusion that since Berbice is pre-dominantly Indian that all Indians there think and feel the same way.

They pay no attention that Indians themselves are divided into different identities: rural-urban, lower and upper class, Hindu, Muslim and Christians; some are ethno-local while are ethno-national and ethno-universal and the list of differences goes on. Sure enough, they share a common indentured experience but have evolved into different directions.

The majority of them support the PPP mainly because they were pushed by bad policies of 28 year of PNC dictatorship and the absence of sound, reliable alternatives.

In other words, not all Indians in Berbice would support secession. Furthermore, the secession movement does not favour one ethnic group over the other.

It is territorial and consensual rather than a unilateral secession movement based on the Remedial Right Only theories.

First and foremost, Berbice will try to re-claim its pre-colonial arrangement, that is, independent Berbice, and determine and dictate its own political future in the contemporary period.

Again, the colonial package and current dependence status of Berbice is not working for Berbicians. Briefly speaking, Guyana is a dependent capitalist state saddled within the confines of the periphery which incapacitates its ability (political and economic power) to meet the expectations of the three counties.

It never did in its independent history and there aren’t any signs that it will in the near future. It has been a nightmare of failed policies and promises.

The consequence is that anyone born now, this moment, will not see Guyana out of its current predicament/status in his or her life time. Sad but true.

Political domestic politics apart, this is one main reason why Guyana is so underdeveloped. Guyana is simply locked in the lower end of the Center-Periphery or North-South relationship with no sound way out.

Indeed, from a macro perspective, the secession of Berbice would relieve the current government from mandated responsibilities to provide badly needed basic services for that county.

It would be a win-win situation for Guyana in light of the fact that the country has had a history of being regulated by the very resources and institutions it has tried to regulate. For example, currently who has control over Guyana’s natural resources?

Foreign companies do and really how much power and control does the government have over these companies? Short answer, Guyana would not experience enormous capital flight if it had control over foreign companies.

Equally serious is that the secession movement is not against any political party in Guyana , be it PPP or PNC.

Some have already tried to push it in this direction. The movement emanated at a time when the situation in Berbice has been blown out of proportion and has not been dealt with accordingly.

The movement will continue regardless of which political party is in power. In fact, it will work in tandem with state.

This vision might not be feasible because it is against the Hobbesian theory of democracy whereby states have to be mono-national, among other things.

Nonetheless, the idea of constitutionalized secession as a moral right had augured well for countries like St. Kitts and Nevis, Ethiopia, Singapore and Canada. This might work well for Guyana since it has the potential to reduce conflict and give the state the option to monitor secession movement within a legal frame work.

As far as known, the Guyanese constitution does not address secession. In fact, the word does not exist in the constitution.

Perhaps many are not aware of the dismal state of Berbice mainly because Berbicians have not really taken their grievances to the streets, save for a few occasions.

They have not challenged the state, PPP or PNC, openly. From practical indications, they will not; a majority of them are easy going people in the face of adversity.

But make no mistake, they have carried the burden of poverty, social ills, marginalization, stigmatization and the litany list goes on and on, on their weary shoulders for too long. The strings that hold them together are beginning to pop. The reasons for this are manifold.

There isn’t a sound hospital from Canje to Springlands, a majority of Berbice. If anything happens to you while you are in this area, you better pray to your God to save your life.

There are also still open sewage systems along the Berbice coastal villages that run between homes and into nearby canals then into the eco-system where the people get their food, mainly fish.

Children grow up in these communities. I did. Is this safe? Are we living in the twenty-first century or in the colonial period all over again?

The county of Berbice has the highest rate of out-migration. Just take a drive through the main road and you will see that there are as many empty houses as coconut trees.

Your naked eye will not deceive the naked truth. And oh yes, the suicide rate is also very, very high in Berbice. Come on, is this acceptable? How long must this go on without the emergence of an alternative plan? The time has come.

Some serious questions should be asked in light of the comments received? Does marginalization and underdevelopment in another county mean that Berbice should not secede? Should Berbice remain in a chronic state of underdevelopment because other areas in Guyana are in the same position?

Do people really think a movement toward secession in Berbice would lead to a domino theory? How many generations must be lost to the false hope of growth and development in Berbice?

Aren’t we living in the age of modernization and globalization where marginalized and ignored people normally should have the space, spectrum and the opportunities to improve themselves if the normal routine of hope, aspiration, policies, growth, etc, failed them? Don’t they have the right to look for other ways to improve their lot?

Aren’t they entitled to develop mechanisms for themselves by themselves? Don’t they have the right to localization? How long must they be anchored in dependency and homogenization?

Finally, some mentioned that there are some recent developments in Berbice and cited the river bridge, new sugar estate, a new university, among others. This is a major step forward in the right direction and should continue.

It becomes a problem, however, when these new initiatives do not meet the expectations of the people, when the people see buildings going up left and right and they are still poor and malnourished, when they continue to cut the sugar-cane like slaves and indentures and their material base has not improved, when they continue to cultivate rice to feed the nation and the Caribbean and they do not get beyond sustaining themselves.
Lomarsh Roopnarine

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