Seeram ignores the PPP’s deliberate resort to race to win elections

Mar 09, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
Your paper published an opinion piece by Ralph Seeram who says he is a sociologist. The fact of the existence of the concept and reality of being Guyanese is true. That goes beyond race or ethnicity.
However, the case he makes for racial voting is deeply flawed. He ignores the deliberate resort to race sentiments by the strategists in the PPP from the sixties onwards as a means to try and win elections.
The counterpoint to that was vote rigging by the Burnham PNC which many believe was also used by the PPP in winning the 1992 elections and allegations of vote rigging in the subsequent election continue to be made, though the jury is still out on how those impacted final election results. The most important lesson from those allegations is vigilance in the upcoming May 11 elections.
In his column, Seeram also claims that the PPP has a perfect record in two party elections in Guyana. However, that includes both the first election, where both Burnham and Jagan were members of the PPP, and the 1992 and 1997 elections, where the Civic component of the PPP was still relevant in getting votes for the PPP. That civic support for the PPP has largely evaporated and the secondment of a senior public servant to front line electoral politicking for the PPP is a sign of that party’s sense that their shrinking base of hard core race first support requires that they reignite the Civic component of their support, but that is going to be very difficult.
The fact that the senior public servant has not given up her government duties is another sign of the lawless and corrupt mentality which permeates the PPP. Seeram also asserts that the PNC has never been able to go beyond its base. That is false and the facts are there to be checked by the “sociologist. “Seeram also says in his column that the AFC, for all intents and Purposes, is not a separate political party. Now, which planet he just dropped from is to be determined, but to all the supporters, volunteers, members, contributors to the AFC this is a slap in their faces.
Finally, the sociologist can answer his own question. The persons who might have indicated that they were disaffected with the APNU since the 2011 elections do have choices, and if they think about a prosperous Guyana with greatly reduced levels of corruption, and more inclusive governance and development, then they would choose the AFC/APNU coalition.
Fitzgerald Yaw

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Seeram ignores the PPP’s deliberate resort to race to win elections

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