These elections will be a referendum about our character as a people

Jul 21, 2011 Letters

---

DEAR EDITOR,
It is obvious that the PPP is not only in full panic mode, but also lacks the intellectual fortitude to engage the population and the political opposition in a worthwhile exchange of ideas on just what their plans are for Guyana if re-elected to office. At a time when they should be extolling the virtues of their accomplishments during nearly twenty years of continuous reign, their preference for lies and nefarious propaganda speaks for itself.
Perhaps knowing full well that their two decades of stewardship is abysmal, their leaders prefer to spew hate and lies, instead of their plans for the better Guyana all right-thinking Guyanese want, regardless of race, gender, or even political affiliation.
At the PPP press briefing held on Saturday, 16th July, 2011, Mr. Donald Ramotar continued his party’s election year tactic of besmirching the good name and military record of Brigadier David Granger. When asked to justify the PPP’s close relationships with Major Generals Joseph Singh and Norman McLean, Mr. Ramotar and his new handler, Mr. Robert Persaud, resorted to the old Babu John position. Further, they claimed that Major General Singh did a fantastic job at the elections commission, and that Major General McClean was not running for office.
The PPP is the government of the day. Whether he behaves like it or not, the President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. If there are records to prove that Brigadier Granger was involved in any misconduct while in office, why hasn’t the PPP government demanded the records from Camp Ayangana and made them public?
On Saturday, the PPP claimed that there are documents to prove their statements. So, why have they not simply produced these documents? The PPP must either put up or shut up. They hurl accusations that Brigadier Granger perverted the institution of the army, and prevented it from becoming a professional one. One only has to peruse the records, and it will be clear that the GDF during the period in question was a professional army.
The GDF is the only army in Latin America that has never intervened in government. Our soldiers did not engage in the banditry and uncontrolled lawlessness that is seen today.
For this regime and Mr. Ramotar to accuse anyone of using a government agency as a political instrument is at least ironic, if not completely laughable. It is, however, not surprising. If this is how Mr. Ramotar will gather information and run his presidential campaign, what are we Guyanese to expect from him if he “wins” the elections and has to run a whole country?
I urge Mr. Ramotar to look at what they have done. The PPP is not only paramount but it promoted ethnic triumphalism. It has divided this nation, and set us back by decades. It has perverted our youth, our civil servants, our police and law enforcement in general.
One look at the pages of the independent newspapers and media enterprises today shows the extent and depth of the rampant lawlessness that grips Guyana and Guyanese today, from murdered wives and raped children to slaughtered pedestrians and minibus passengers to seemingly corrupt land sales and mega and mini construction deals. These crimes have been killing and stealing from all Guyanese, regardless of race or political preference.
This PPP administration is not only on the wrong course, but on the wrong side of history. The days of divide and conquer are over, “apaan jhaat” is dead. Guyanese – regardless of race, gender, occupation, or location – want leaders who can work together, and work for the common good. Apparently, even the PPP is finally getting that message at this late stage, and it is making them grab for straws desperately, even slandering and libeling good Guyanese. Yes, the PPP has realized that while it has enriched its cronies, even the PPP’s own “base” seems totally disgruntled after nearly two decades of callous disregard and disservice. No wonder Mr. Ramotar now sounds desperate!
That several opposition parties have come together to contest this year elections as A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is instructive. Guyanese are sick and tired of the divisive politics of the past. Having no positive record to run on, and apparently no real plans for the future, the PPP now wants this election to be about the divisiveness and hate.
These elections will be a referendum not only on the PPP’s stewardship of this nation, but also about our character as a people. I pray that we choose a future of reconciliation and unity; I pray that we finally leave our sordid discordant past, where it belongs: in the past.
Mark Archer

---

---