Tit for Tat Politics in Guyana

Jan 03, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
How do the politicians in APNU/AFC defend the indefensible? Why seek to seize assets legitimately owned in some cases or controlled by the PPP/C or their representatives or supporters? When these assets amount to a drop in the ocean compared to the other resources and assets available for ownership, control and management by APNU/AFC in the ocean of Guyana -Exxon Mobil findings included. These actions were not part of the platform that APNU/AFC promised pre-election, yet here we are acting as if we are two nations with two destinies.
Why do our politicians have to inflict deep and unnecessary divisions amongst the Guyanese people? Does this not take us backwards to intense hatred and an urge to rebel against a fairly elected coalition government? The PPP/C was duly elected and used their tenure of office to not only contribute to the development of Guyana, providing a period of economic growth never seen in
Guyana’s history; even as the hierarchy of the party and major supporters used the government structure to enrich themselves, politically speaking there is nothing unusual about their conduct. Machiavelli noted that “A ruler never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise” and indeed the APNU/AFC can find multiple legitimate reasons to seize Red House from PPP/C, but is this action good of Guyana – with the resulting animus, vendetta mentality, and pillarizing of racism; this is clearly not the route to take. As much as I supported APNU/AFC pre-election, my groundings with brothers and supporters of PPP/C has grown post elections, as acts of folly and hypocrisy have obtained far too frequently from the coalition. It is always easier to meet with the opposition than those who carry the titles. One of the great mistakes of the populace is to judge politicians by their intentions rather than their results – with apologies to Milton Friedman.
Invariably in politics, friends become pawns, mere creatures to manipulate and use whenever convenient. Politicians tend to have interests only and those who occupy the halls of power often believe the titles they carry represent a divine right to rule with hubris, insolence, arrogance and the gravy of egotism. Of course, there is a timeline to all this pomposity.
Now here we are in 2017 – with Red House under threat of seizure; Properties in Pradoville mostly owned by the PPP/C hierarchy being targeted for repricing; sugar estates being unjustifiably placed on the chopping block for auction or divestment; leadership in the National Assembly seemingly hell-bent on suspending an attorney over tablets or tattle; skilled technocrats (W. Brassington and A. Singh to name two) fleeing from Guyana for fear of being persecuted and possibly jailed; the NICIL non case; these backward-looking stratagems are so damaging to the Guyanese psyche that one sees only self-destruction ahead.
We are damning our country to failure. The party in power should be seeking with all hands-on deck to find ways to continue the development of Guyana and avoid the futile, backward, and dangerous practice of focusing on the rear-view mirror, while trying to go forward. Doing so will only lead to more divisions, divisiveness and vendettas when the other party inevitably takes power. Those in power tend to think it will last forever or deceive themselves into believing it will be so; history has exposed this fallacy.
Even the blemished Trump will not prosecute or persecute Ms. Clinton. Let bygones be bygones…let sleeping dogs lie… let all things past, pass… Why spend much needed resources, energy and human capital to undo our heritage, instead we should work to replicate, increase, improve and perfect numerous assets in other locations, using the vast resources available for development in the ocean of Guyana. “Nothing can destroy a government more quickly than its failure to observe its own laws, or worse, its disregard of the charter of its own existence” – Tom C. Clark, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Nigel Hinds

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