Too much time is spent fighting on issues that divide than those that unite

Aug 19, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I am not sure AFC’s Sheila Holder will provide a personal and categorical response to Mr. Eric Phillips’ letter, “In the hierarchy of influence the AFC is a distant tenth,” (Kaieteur News, August 18), but it was one of several letters of late that seem to angrily target the AFC for its stance in not aligning with the PNCR in a broad partnership for the 2011 election.
Could it really be true that the AFC, only five years old and with only five parliamentary seats, is being seen either as a significant asset or even threat in Guyana’s political race for power that it has become the centre of a dust storm among people kicking up and fighting in a political desert where water is scarce?
I want to see robust debates or discussions on issues that are germane to the people, not petty salvoes flying between personalities.
For a minority parliamentary opposition party, the attacks against the AFC are indeed eye-catching, but rather than wilt or wrestle with each attack, I think the AFC should take great advantage of the free negative publicity its attackers and critics are leveling at it and methodically build its base and message.
Mr. Phillips is known for his consistent calls for an end to the Westminster style electoral system, which he said will not deliver a result that is fair to Guyana’s diverse ethnic composition. I truly empathize with his perspective, but not one of the two major parties has so far responded positively to ACDA’s calls, and so I have been asking: how does an outside party or group go about changing or replacing this system unless it can get those with the political and legal muscle (PPP and PNCR) to cooperate in Parliament or unless the outside party or group is actually in power and can then use its power as political leverage to effect change.
When one tries to answer this question one gets an idea why Ms. Holder made the remark about intelligent people making unintelligent remarks, because while it may sound like a put down, it really is a conclusion based on a simple assessment of what is being asked of politicians and political parties with their well-staked out partisan agendas. The PPP is not budging, the PNCR is not giving an inch, and the AFC is standing pat, so who is going to bell the cat that will change the Westminster system. Is it the ACDA?
And this is also why Mr. Phillips’ remark that the ACDA has more influence than the AFC hits me as amusing. The ACDA is a group while the AFC is a parliamentary party. The ACDA has been around much longer and its goal in pretty much reflected in its name: to fight for the rights of African Guyanese and, by extension, the rights of all Guyanese. However, the ACDA does not have parliamentary seats, while the AFC does, so if the issue of influence is a standard by which to measure which has more influence, then the AFC wins. In fact, if after only one year in existence, the AFC took Black votes from the PNCR in 2006, it has demonstrated that its influence has penetrated even the PNCR’s base, but why are we wasting time now talking about who has more influence? Enough said.
There are far weightier issues to address, like the issues of shared governance and national unity government, which are distinctly different when we analyse the different voices and reasons behind the separate calls for these, and they will not go away anytime soon.
Unless there is a fleshing out of the differences between the myriad voices and their myriad motives, the singular message of change will always be mired in misunderstanding, if not mistrust. To me, way too much time is spent fighting on the issues that divide than on the issues that unite.
I truly believe that Mr. Phillips, with whom I have slight disagreements on methods of approach to political change in Guyana, is genuinely concerned about the situation in Guyana. But he is not alone, and that’s why a certain level of maturity has to play into the willingness of all concerned Guyanese, to respectfully disagree and move to the next important issue on the list of concerns.
With the PPP and PNCR’s positions already known, and the AFC’s position recently stated, what is the next item on the agenda of Guyanese concerned about effecting change? Is it to produce and present a viable vision to the people or is it to expend time and energy picking unproductive fights on issues over which we have absolutely no control?
This is a call all and sundry have to make as we debate the bread and butter issues affecting the people.
Emile Mervin
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Whose funds were used to purchase the transmitter for Channel 21?

Dear Editor,
The fact that the erudite and all-perfect State television station and their collaborators in Berbice set up NCN Channel 21 behind President Jagdeo’s back goes to show the misuse of state funds and resources.
Further to this issue, I’d like the President to take action against the planners and brain powers behind this new venture, which was rumoured to have been a private initiative by the NCN Berbice Coordinator, using a State frequency. I am glad the President has put a stop to all of it.
I would like to see those involved penalized for actions that have brought embarrassment to the State television in Guyana and undoubtedly the Guyana Government.
Then the President should act with the Berbice staff here. They knew what they were doing was wrong and still went behind his back to arrange technical equipment, operate these equipment and show programmes for nearly a week on Channel 21. The coordinator here in Berbice should be disciplined with immediate effect. ‘Embarrassment’ is a fine word.
Still questions must be asked and I hope there will be an investigation launched. Who acquired a transmitter to operate Channel 21? Whose funds were used to purchase the transmitter? Whose idea was it to go behind the President’s back to establish Channel 21? Who gave NCN the right to use the frequency 25 to broadcast NCN as they commenced doing a few weeks ago?
Goolsarran was mincing words and confusing the nation the other day in the SN when he was saying that Channel 21 has always been in existence. Well he should pay for his words. Channel 21 was relaying NCN to Corentyne up to a few weeks ago, until the State media used a new frequency, 25, to relay, hence freeing up 21 to use as a propaganda channel.
It seems that President Jagdeo’s people are doing lots of things without his consent or knowledge. Of course, we can’t leave our friends at the NFMU out in all of this too.
Am I proud about what I’ve done? Sure I am. If I didn’t blow their cover, I don’t think anyone else had the courage to do so. In this place, we must stand up for what we believe in. Rest in peace “Propaganda 21”. You will not be missed.
Leon Jameson Suseran
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Guyanese need liberation from the PPP and PNCR

Dear Editor,
If all those Guyanese listed below and many more could not have an inch of feelings that all elections in Guyana from 1966, except from 1992 were rigged and the economy is on a free fall, how can we expect that the next generation of ministers and high government officials to see that they are doing anything wrong?
What Guyanese need now is liberation from both the PPP and the PNCR and raise the bar of accountability and honesty.
The Guyanese are: – L. F. S. Burnham, Halim Majeed, Sir John Carter, Sir Shridath Ramphal, Rashleigh Jackson and Cecil Pilgrim.
Kassem Baksh

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