APNU is really ‘A Party Not United’

Jun 30, 2011 Letters

---

Dear Editor,
The question is not whether the PPP/C will win the upcoming national elections, but rather, “Will they get a majority?” An analysis of two news items published on June 25th in Kaieteur News and Stabroek News may provide the answer I’m looking for.
David Granger was selected to lead the joint opposition coalition which will contest the upcoming election with a new name: A Partnership for National Unity (APNU); and Donald Ramotar has signaled the appointment of someone from the Civic arm of the ruling party to be his running mate.
The way I see it, it is now crystal clear that the incumbent PPP/C is heading for a well deserved majority in Parliament. I am equally convinced that all this talk about national unity is just a smoke-screen to hide the opposition’s real and only agenda: To get rid of the PPP/C at any cost.
Robert Corbin, leader of the once powerful PNC, must have realized that his party can no longer win by rigging elections, and after his defeat in 2006, his chances of ever becoming President of Guyana is at best a dream in his own mind.
So he declared that he will not be his party’s presidential candidate in 2011, and threw his support behind David Granger, who was eventually elected to that position.
But Granger’s victory dug up shameful memories of a painful past that the PNCR had hoped to bury: The infamous 1973 rigged election that gave Forbes Burnham’s PNC a two-thirds majority in Parliament, courtesy of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
To date, retired Brigadier Granger is yet to explain his role in this action that blatantly violated the Guyana constitution and disenfranchised the will of so many Guyanese which resulted in the shooting deaths of two PPP political observers at 64 Village, Corentyne by the GDF.
I am not suggesting here that Granger knew anything about these killings nor approved of it, but he must have had prior knowledge of the rigging, and may have even played an active role in the planning in his capacity as Political Liaison Officer to the then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham.
And if he knew nothing of this, he needs to explain why the brilliant PNC leader Burnham, would have omitted his GDF confidant from the planning of this operation that was executed by the GDF.
A politician whom I had tremendous respect for and had supported, the late Winston Murray, was one of the few who had the vision, credibility and the conviction to repair the badly damaged image of the PNCR, but the leadership of that party ensured that a longstanding member of Indian descent would never lead the predominantly black PNCR… and they have the cojones to call the PPP/C racist.
In what can only be considered an unorthodox move, the PNCR decided against contesting the election under the PNCR name and party symbol, and joined forces with the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA), Guyana Action Party (GAP) and National Front Alliance (NFA), to give the impression that this new “partnership” represents “A Partnership for National Unity” (APNU).
But one would ask, “Why would the main opposition PNCR shed its name and party symbol, to join forces with a bunch of losers that have no political capital?”
I believe there is a sinister scheme behind this strategy. Here’s why:
1.    By doing so, they hope to parry any direct attacks on the tyrannous reign of the PNCR, because they will argue that the PNCR is not contesting this election; APNU is. And the new political party (not a “partnership” as some may wish you to believe) cannot be expected to be responsible for the sins committed on the Guyanese people by the former PNC regime.
2.    They hope to bring some credibility and respectability to the new party, by selling APNU as a coalition of the people, united against the evil PPP/C Administration.
The only problem is, APNU is really ‘A Party Not United’.
At the press conference to launch this new party, members of the Murray camp were not visible, and there was no mention of Dr. Richard Van-West Charles being there. And why isn’t Peter Ramsaroop of the “People’s Partnership” not part of this group? Could it be that he’s holding out unless he’s asked to be Granger’s running mate? After all, he would be the only one among the dinosaurs to have any appeal to the youth voter.
But contesting the election as APNU will be challenging for the PNCR. They will have to spend enormous resources to get name recognition, and time convincing the other members of the “partnership” to go along with their agenda. For let there be no illusion as to who is running the show – the others will simply have to rubber stamp the PNCR’s strategy and manifesto. Come Election Day, Guyanese will not be fooled by this wolf in sheep’s clothing.
As for Donald Ramotar’s statement, the only two members of the Civic group that may be under consideration to serve as his running mate are Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn and Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. While some may argue that Benn is a better choice to appeal to Afro-Guyanese, and to
demonstrate multi-racial inclusiveness by the ruling party, I adamantly disagree.
The PPP/C can be proud of its efforts at trying to break down racial barriers by reaching out to communities of all races through Guyana, and Linden is a fitting example of this. They have benefitted tremendously from the Jagdeo Administration, and continue to do so. And while there are several Afro-Guyanese in high profile positions in government, Samuel Hinds, a Guyanese of African descent, is our serving Prime Minister.
This brings me to my choice of Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett for the position of Prime Minister. Women in Guyana need to be recognized for their tremendous leadership skills, and be placed in positions of authority where they can make a more meaningful contribution to nation building. We’ve seen this in other parts of the world, Guyana should be no exception.
Rodrigues-Birkett is exceptional not only because she’s a woman, but she is also Amerindian, and had served that community well as the Minister of Amerindian Affairs. She would be an excellent choice to win the support of both groups, with the knowledge that they would finally have one of their own to represent their interest at the highest forum in government.
Interestingly, I’m not the only one who shares this opinion, for as it is reported in Kaieteur News on June 23: “Brigadier Granger has said that his first preference would be a woman, and that is not only good politics but it would be good for the nation.” Very well said Mr. Granger, I couldn’t agree with you more. As such, I rest my case.
Harry Gill

---

---