The PPP surrendered on Linden because of its arrogance, ignorance, incompetence and intellectual weakness

Aug 21, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
After all the belligerence and vindictiveness, the PPP folded like a cheap tent on the Linden issue. It had to for several reasons. Firstly, the PPP approached the Linden electricity tariff increase from an emotive praxis of vindictiveness. Its decision was not grounded in logic or realpolitik assessment but in plain old psychological nastiness and it backfired. When organizations make decisions out of anger and retribution and the intent to inflict pain on others because they rebuffed them in an election, it will backfire. Secondly, the PPP likely believed it would gain political mileage from Linden by inflaming an already volatile situation smoldering on the background of a racist Chronicle editorial.
The silence of the PPP’s leadership on the editorial and attempts by some PPP propagandists to defend it support this argument. The hope was probably that if the police acted on direct orders and used excessive force such as shooting protesters, one ethnic group would ‘rampage’ in response while the other ethnic group gets fearful and goes running back to the party it left in disgust. It is a kind of political-racial or political-ethnic blackmail. Alternatively, the PPP knew or should have known that failing to supervise the police sent from Georgetown to a strange town (Linden), failing to ensure enough policemen were on the scene, failing to commit enough non-lethal weapons such as a water cannon it purchased at an exorbitant sum to the scene, failing to directly supervise the police and failing overall to properly manage a situation were going to lead to exactly what happened – shooting of unarmed protesters. Once that happened, the risk for an escalation of ethnic tensions increased. Escalation of ethnic tensions leads to escalation of racial fears and to political-racial or political-ethnic blackmail.
Thirdly, the PPP miserably failed to map out beforehand all the consequences of its actions and omissions on Linden. This shows the serious deficit of intellect within the PPP leadership that hijacked the party. The fallouts from Linden economically devastated the PPP.
Lindeners literally shut down the interior with its vital mining industry. It also affected Amerindian communities. Now, the PPP faces a situation where on top of losing the revenues from the 30,000-tonne cut in its sugar target, its misguided actions on Linden have crippled the mining industry for almost a month with lingering economic effects for much longer. Only a ‘duncified’ set of thinkers with selfish agendas on power and no concern for the country at large and their own constituency would ever consider escalating or refusing to ensure a situation like Linden did not escalate.
Linden will cost the mining industry severe losses and the PPP/Guyana significant losses in revenues. Only a set of fools would risk so much when the economic consequences are so harshly stacked against them. To make matters worse, the mining industry is already in rebellion against the PPP’s Robert Persaud and the PPP’s spending is now being reviewed intensely by Parliament.
Fourthly, the Linden impasse has awakened Amerindians to their plight under the PPP. The PPP’s actions and omissions led to the indirect blockade of Amerindian communities too. Amerindians suffered because of the PPP’s barefaced arrogance and ignorance in dealing with Linden. Amerindians are also alive to the same thing happening in their communities with IMCs and other controlling tactics.
Fifthly, the PPP ended up surrendering more than Lindeners ever wanted. Linden not only gets a tariff review, which will likely impose a gradual increase in tariffs with concessions, but it got the PPP to hand over many things that were not even on the table when the protest over the electricity issue started. The only issue was the electricity increase. The PPP’s brazen actions or willful omissions led to a slew of other issues becoming part of the bargain and the PPP ended up giving in on TV licences, funding an economic development plan, etc.
The PPP with a dwindling revenue base from a 30,000 tonnes loss of sugar production and the crippling of the mining industry will have to find tens of billions to pay Linden for these initiatives.
Sixthly, the problem is now one of setting an example. This is now a precedent that every community in Guyana with a legitimate beef, and there are hundreds of them thanks to the PPP’s mismanagement and incompetence, will see Linden as the formula for extracting what they are rightly entitled to from government.
Seventh, after this collapse and capitulation on Linden, the frauds controlling the PPP will lose a portion of the base they so desperately need; the hardline race voters who reverently vote for the PPP. The PPP’s capitulation is painful to them because the PPP emerged from this Linden fiasco weaker and their faith in this failed bunch of dictators.
Eight, the PPP has managed to forcefully galvanize and organize a lethargic African voting constituency into a vibrant political force with the Linden, Jagdeo’s libel trial and other issues. Some Indians and a majority of Amerindians and Mixeds who supported the PPP have drawn the proverbial line in the sand and will not compromise their moral integrity to vote for a Stalinist bunch of corrupt dictators who have not only seized a party and denied ordinary party members but have practised a filthy political praxis.
We are witnessing one of the monumental psychological shifts in this country on race politics. The PPP is a morally bankrupt organization with no freedom and internal democracy. Like the PNC/APNU, it is an arrogant and incompetent danger to this nation.
M. Maxwell

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