Guyana has come a long way in terms of race relations

Mar 14, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Guyana has come a long way in terms of race relations. Gone are the days when race was used to divide us. As Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar reminded us, the PPP has always championed the cause of a multi-racial society in which there is political, cultural and ideological diversity.
The PPP has no interest in promoting racism in Guyana since it is the only political party with the largest multi-racial support. Both at its leadership and rank and file levels, it has always attracted men and women of honour and integrity from right across the ethnic and cultural spectrum.
Ideologically, it is more inclined to the left but this does not mean that there is no room for the participation of other interest groups in the national development process. This was particularly evident during the post-1992 period when the PPP/C assumed the reins of political power after nearly three decades of PNC authoritarian rule.
By the turn of the twenty-first century, the world balance of power has shifted dramatically following the collapse of the world socialist system and the rise of new centre of powers. The rigid bi-polar world of the 1970s and the 1980s have for all practical purposes given way to a new era of multilateral diplomacy with the emergence of new and powerful economic players led by China and to a lesser extent India.
These developments at home and abroad have resulted in a much more open and all-embracing approach to national development which saw the private sector playing an increasingly bigger role in the national development process. Indeed, the private sector is seen now as the engine of growth, with the state playing a more facilitating role in terms of providing the right balance between labour and capital.
One manifestation of this balancing act by the state is the increasing share of the national pie towards social sector development in general and human development in particular. Indeed, the largest allocation of the national budget is allocated to the social sectors such as education, health, housing and water, which is quite unlike what obtained under the PNC regime when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alone consumed more than education, health, housing and water combined.
In a situation of declining production and economic stagnation, all ethnic groups were made to suffer. Put in a different way, there is a direct correlation between low levels of economic performance and ethnic insecurity. The rising tide of prosperity now enjoyed by all Guyanese, regardless of race or colour, is the best antidote against ethnic insecurity.
The PPP/C therefore has no interest whatsoever in fanning the flames of racism in our country. Indeed, as a party, and party in government, it has always prided itself on the role it has played and still continues to play in bringing the various races and interest groups in the exciting task of nation-building.
Hydar Ally

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