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Only an Indian can pull support from the Indian population – PPP rally hears
Bharrat Jagdeo’s first words at last Sunday’s PPP rally in Kitty were, “They (other political parties) can never compete with us, with our love, positive energy and commitment; they can never compete with us and our dreams.”
PPP Executive Member, Bharrat Jagdeo
But he soon descended into what some refer to as gutter politics. Jagdeo used that forum which was punctuated by songs of “togetherness” to invoke racial emotions.
To do this, Jagdeo, recalled the words of his former Party comrade, Moses Nagamootoo. He said that Nagamootoo has joined the “PNC (People’s National Congress)” and has forgotten all his principles just because a prime ministerial pacifier was placed in his mouth.
Jagdeo then focused on a statement made by Nagamootoo to the effect that he is not Indian, that he is Guyanese.
Jagdeo used this as a campaign tool. He told the thousands of Guyanese who gathered to hear PPP’s plans for Guyana, “You heard what he said? I agree that we are all Guyanese, but he says he is not Indian and he promised publicly to take 11 percent Indians to the PNC. How can you not be Indian and you promise to take 11 percent Indians to the PNC?”
The suggestion was that only politicians who are Indo-Guyanese, can influence Guyanese voters of Indian descent to vote for a particular political party.
“This is not about being Indian, Afro-Guyanese, Amerindian or any other race; it is about the future of Guyana,” Jagdeo said.
The former Head-of-State further urged the gathering to ensure that “Nagamootoo does not get away with his rhetoric.”
Nagamootoo’s words identifying himself as a Guyanese were also recalled by Irfaan Ali.
While Ali admitted that Guyana is a multiracial society “populated with people from different ancestry,” he said that Nagamootoo’s identification of himself as a Guyanese and not as an Indian means that he is ashamed of whom he really is.
At point, one supporter who was sitting on the stairs of the media stage mumbled, “Come on! It’s one people and one nation.”
Commenting on election violence, Jagdeo said that it has always been triggered by the Opposition and “the nature of the animal has not changed.”
He said that “animals” of that nature cannot be allowed to govern the country “because when they have power they can do anything in this country.”
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