We will never trade our core principles for political expediency

Jun 13, 2016 News

– WPA vows on 36th death anniversary of Walter Rodney

On the 36th death anniversary of the late Guyanese scholar, Dr. Walter Rodney, members of the Working People’s Alliance not only saluted his work, legacy and life but recommitted to advancing some of his core teachings such as “never trading core principles for political expediency.”
The party recalled that Rodney was an activist and a prophet of self-emancipation. And while much has changed since he was assassinated, the party said that the core questions he raised and the solutions he proposed are still relevant.
The WPA said that in this age of neo-liberal domination at the global level and passive acceptance at the domestic level, Rodney’s thesis of the nexus between development of the powerful and underdevelopment of the powerless still rings loud across the globe.
The party said that as the countries of the Global South fight for their survival in a world in which their voices and aspirations are smothered by harsh socio-economic prescriptions from the Global North, Walter Rodney’s insights about the destructiveness of global capitalism for the poorest peoples must be embraced and acted upon.
It opined, “Thirty-six years after Rodney, insular instincts and egos stand as barriers to an integration praxis that fulfills our historical mandate for a unified Caribbean.”
“The colonial faces are gone, but the legacies of colonialism still keep the Caribbean as producers of goods and services primarily for the benefit of others. The “New World”, which Rodney’s generation imagined, has vanished from our Caribbean imagination.”

The late Dr. Walter Rodney

The WPA said that the Caribbean has been de-radicalized in ways that have rendered the people hopeless and cynical about individual and collective futures. He said that this is something that must be corrected forthwith.
“Here in Guyana, the State, which Walter Rodney and his comrades fought so hard to democratize, is still a menace to the citizenry. The criminalization of the State has been a major step backwards for Guyana and the elimination of corruption and autocracy would require all the energies and willpower of the current political directorate,” the Party expressed.
The WPA noted that Rodney has left a large body of ideas about governance and democratization that could aid in this process.
Towards this end, the WPA said that it is still not satisfied that enough effort is being put into ensuring that Rodney’s work is made available to the general public, in particular the education system.
“We use this opportunity to publicly call on the policy makers in the education sector to correct this grave error. We cannot, as a nation, be satisfied that the work of one of our leading intellectuals is better known in places other than his native country,” the WPA said.
The Party said that Rodney’s biggest impact on Guyana during the last six years of his life was his success in breaking down the political walls which separated the two major ethnic groups.
Members of the WPA said that this is an accomplishment of which they are especially proud. They said that it is one of those things that cannot be measured in votes, yet it gave hope for the survival of a multi-ethnic community.
Today, WPA said it reiterates the cry of the Rodney era that Guyana cannot move forward as a viable nation, if ethnic groups do not move together in solidarity and mutual respect.
The Party said that the recent warning of one of its esteemed brothers and elders, Esui Kwayana, that Guyana must reconcile or recede, must be heeded by all.
The WPA also recommitted itself to do everything in its power to help return Guyana to the “Rodneyite multiracial culture.”
“The WPA, also on this Rodney anniversary, recommits itself to the defence of the poor and the powerless and reminds Guyana that our Independence means precious little if we still treat the poor as undignified and worthless citizens.”
Additionally, the WPA remembered other fallen comrades—Ohene Koama and Edward Dublin—whose extreme sacrifices they said, will always be cherished.
“We are indebted to the families of these comrades who have had to nurse the hurt of being left fatherless and husbandless. We also remember Father Bernard Darke and all the other martyrs of our struggle to give meaning to our Independence,” the Party expressed
The Members of the WPA said that Guyana cannot have one standard for the powerful elites and a different one for the powerless. They said that socio-economic inequality is incompatible with true democracy and independence.
They opined, too that Guyanese will come into their own when they can be afforded opportunities to find meaningful employment and earn a living wage. They said that these two outcomes must engage the full attention of those who guide the government.
Moreover, the WPA said that Rodney’s anniversary this year comes on the first anniversary of Guyana’s first genuine Partnership Government, of which it is a part.
The WPA said it sees the Coalition’s ascendency to power as a positive development for the country, which has long been weighed down by one-party government.
As a partner, the WPA said it is committed to playing its part in ensuring the success of the government, while protecting its own integrity. The WPA, despite being in the government, said that it will never trade its core principles for political expediency. The WPA categorically stated that it will not seek to impose its will on the collective. It opined that such an act represents the antithesis of partnership.