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PPP did fight for Democracy in Guyana

Jun 03, 2012 Letters

 

 

Dear Editor,
Reference is made to Mr. Lionel Lowe’s “Guyana is no more a democracy today than it was when the PPP took power in 1992” (KN May 27) – a revisionist letter seeking to rehabilitate the PNC.   It is dishonest for Mr. Lowe to pen it “is a fiction to say PPP fought for the restoration of democracy in Guyana”.
That is not a fiction. It is a well documented and accepted fact that the PPP was in the forefront of the struggle for freedom in Guyana pre as well as post-independence.
Even the most virulent anti-communist or harshest critic of the PPP will admit that that the PPP fought for universal adult suffrage and the restoration of democracy after the rise of the PNC dictatorship. Lowe needs to remove his head from the sand and recognize the historic role played by the PPP and others (WPA, UF, DLM, URP, etc.) in restoring democracy.
It is disingenuous to say “free and fair elections were arranged by the PNC”.  Sure and Hitler arranged to stop WW II. No Sir.  That is not correct! No hard core PNC-ite would ever make such a bold claim. The arrangement for free and fair election came from a long sustained struggle by heroes like Kwayana, Nanda Gopaul, Rupert Roopnaraine, Cheddi Jagan, Vassan Ramracha, Baytoram Ramharack, David deCaires, Moses Nagamootoo, Chuck Mohan, Nigel Westmaas, Father Rodrigues, etc. – none of whom were PNCites. Had it not been for Jimmy Carter and US intervention, democracy would not have been restored to the country.
The regime prior to 1992 was illegal and undemocratic.  No matter what kind of lipstick one tries to dress up a pig, it remains a pig – it was a dictatorship till its end.  The PNC was adamantly opposed to democratic reforms in Guyana and did everything to stifle the restoration of democratic governance. It was the pressure from the US, Britain, Canada and other western powers, made possible by lobbying from diaspora groups that forced the PNC to give in to free and fair elections and that laid the basis for the current electoral system.
Because the threat from the Russian Bear had crumbled, the US had no interest in not calling a pig a pig – PNC was a rigger and a dictatorship up to its end in office and the US decided it was time to end it. The PNC tried to rig the election on voting day itself in 1992. Has Lowe forgotten what took place on election day (violence, fires, etc.) – when attempts were made to derail the ballot?
It is also disingenuous to say PPP championed that ballot because of its racial usefulness.  Everyone benefited from it and it was the right thing for the nation.
Lowe states PPP has not added anything to democracy since 1992.  No one has been killed for freedom of speech since 1992.
The parliament had been democratised with management and sectoral committees to include the Opposition. The PPP is now at the receiving end of the largess of the opposition that now controls parliament. Surely, Lowe will give the PPP credit for not killing political opponents as happened under the PNC – remember Rodney, Darke, Dublin, Ohene, etc.
We no longer have fraudulent elections or attempts to derail the ballot and people are free to choose their government or switch allegiances.  A party card is not required to get a job as was the case prior to 1992.
One final note — voters in former communist alternated among different competing parties in Nicaragua, Czech, Slovakia, Ukraine, Georgia, etc.
Vishnu Bisram

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