Guyana needs a National Front Govt.

Nov 26, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
After 28 years of PNC rule and 18 (so far) of PPP/C government, Guyana is in dire need of a government that is truly representative of its diversity — specifically its various races.
It is a farce to boast that Guyana is a nation of six races, when only one dominates and others are disproportionally represented in local and central government and its associated intuitions.
One can try to rationalise and argue that one government and race had its turn and it is time for the other major race. While that may seem justifiable, we must bear in mind that “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This translates to mean that when one party is embedded in office too long it gets more clout and becomes more ruthless and corrupt. Two wrongs do not make a right, so it is not fair that a government continue to hold on to power and represent primarily one set of people.
Disadvantaged people are fully aware of what is happening and are very angry. Some of them are biding their time and waiting for an opportunity to strike back.
We must learn from history so that the same mistakes of others are not repeated. A few examples will illustrate my point. The Indian merchants in Uganda were flaunting their wealth and parading in motorcades around Kampala on weekends, while remitting their profits overseas and putting back little or nothing into social programmes. In the end they had to flee for their lives when Idi Amin became ruler. Before that, the Jews of Europe were targeted, starved, overworked, gassed, shot and millions perished due to Hitler’s propaganda which many non-Jews believed. There was shock and awe as previously friendly people and neighbours turned against the Jews.
“Young Brownshirts and civilians came with hatchets, looting and destroying Jewish business. People stormed through the shops in droves, carting away whatever they could. The police arrived, not to protect Jewish property or to defend the victims or to arrest the vandals, but to direct traffic. School teachers led their students to the synagogue to set it on fire. The firemen arrived, but only to keep the fire from spreading to neighbouring houses. Adults told children to throw rocks at the Jews and their homes.” (Crucible of Terror by Max Liebster)
Can you envision this happening in Guyana? Remember what happened in Linden in the early 60’s?
When the time comes for retaliation, would the leaders be around? It is more likely that they would flee as Idi Amin, Baby Doc and Pinochet, among others, did and live in comfort on their foreign bank accounts, while the helpless and innocent will be at the mercy of mobs. History is replete with grave injustices in Bosnia, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq and other places.
Ignorance and failure to do the right things can be extremely costly. Guyana needs to go back to the first-past-the- post electoral system (or some other appropriate one) and have a government that is not just an elected dictatorship, but truly represented of people of all walks of life, race, age, sex, religion and economic status.
By Karan Chand (Ghasi) – a former teacher who due to victimization in 1989 (FITUG strike) in Essequibo, migrated to Belize and then to Canada.

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Guyana needs a National Front Govt.

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