This discourse on terms of coalition

Feb 08, 2015 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Like most letters penned in this era, there are twisted opinions that attribute guilt and obliterate considerations of the ‘Other,’ as if he has no truths, or perhaps his humanity is so flawed that he could not retain his ancestral pains. The letter written by Sase Singh on David Hinds Jan. 31St 2015 is progressive and I believe from a sincere Guyanese, so was David’s response. Sase’s letter, through, I believe, through no guilt of his, repeats the mantra of the  Mythology of past PNC rigged elections. This was not created by Sase, it’s a skilful piece of PPP propaganda  implying that these acts were so unfair to the innocent PPP. Without any reference to the fact, that The PPP, under the Jagans, nurtured, shaped and commanded a vicious race war in this country for political power, using its provincial support, building on the racist beliefs that the PPP’S main Indo Guyanese constituency came to this country with, to construct a fixed division and political monitoring tool to control independent Indian thinkers along racial lines for the PPP’s political livelihood, which lay in the realm of anti-colonialism, Ideologically , but in practical manifestation was contradictory to all that was postulated in ‘The West on Trial,’ As Sase rightly said, the Jumbies of that era are slowly beginning to fade away.  That dark era we must explore in a more sober atmosphere, as it has bred many myths and hyped distortions about what transpired. I have learnt a surprising paradoxical lot.
The current predicament is, that this PPP; of 2007 to 2015, does not possess the national consciousness, sophistication or character to govern this country towards prosperity in the coming world.  I would like to draw attention to two articles in last Sunday’s Stabroek 1st Feb.2015 “ A darker age beckons the world “ by Ian Mc Donald and Dr Clive Thomas’s “Guyana then and now: small, poor, open and trade dependent.” These articles outline information and deficiencies that should raise questions, that point to the human talent or lack of talent that in the absence of Cold War paternalistic support, could render any nation ascendancy or the abyss.   Despite pitfalls, the Institutions created between Burnham and Hoyte have awakened in us a Guyanese self awareness.  That the PNC had its flaws, errors and petty Dictators is known, that the political principles of Forbes Burnham brought us hardships cannot be disputed, but his economic policies were advanced, and have not been found wanting; in comparison to what, from this PPP?
Sase, It’s not a question of race that resonates with most of the Guyanese population outside of the PPP’s bottom house influence, but an embodiment of ‘Office’ for the National benefit. You ask most Afro Guyanese who’s the Caribbean politician of today that they most admire and they will tell you Trinidad’s Kamla Persad-Bissersar, because she commands accountability, she fires her Anil Nandlall’s and will never be caught travelling on a Money-Laundering private Jet; would not wholesale a forest while building no forest product industry locally; and I will add another woman, Thuli Madonsela, the South African prosecutor who was recently given the Integrity awarded for 2014, for her steadfast upholding of the principles of accountability in practice.  Burnham set the precedent for the interface of foreign investment with capacity building of the local work force. Then, neither he nor Hoyte were feeding economic empires for themselves and family from manipulation of the national coffers and other questionable means.  I stand with you Sase, that Guyana needs a reality check. I have known David Granger for over two decades, and I cannot account for enough people I trust for the ten fingers I have, and I say David Granger is a man I trust; his values and principles are not self-centred and he will embrace fully the other patriots in the AFC. He will make the President to lead us out of this ‘Duck mire’. I can also assure you Sase, that David Hinds’ case is not meant to advocate racism, as he explained the grounds of his position.  The fact is, there’s nothing from antiquity to the present in the philosophies of Africa that genetically adhere to a system of racism within Africans.  Assess Afro Guyanese from their resistance to Burnham, when that became necessary. In fact, I shall add to your Martin Luther King statement from a more ancient African source Terence Afer; [Afer-Latin for African] who died in 159 B.C.
His statement is a natural propensity of most Afro Guyanese. He left us this profound definition-”I am a man, and nothing human is alien to me.”
Barrington Braithwaite

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