The Volda Lawrence saga in context

Dec 10, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
The recent rumpus over the Volda Lawrence statement,” The only friends I got is PNC so the only people I gon give wuk to is PNC and right now I looking for a doctor who can talk Spanish or Portuguese and ah want one that is PNC”, should not be treated as the sudden appearance of a UFO or an asteroid striking Guyana.
Sadly! All the commentators who came out in support or defense of her statement, only
asserted that discrimination of the above propensity went back to the 23 years of the PPP reign. Their justification is that the PPP did in deeds what Volda said in words.
I wonder why none of the commentators ventured to say that this form of racial repression or discrimination started early in the previous PNC’s 27 years reign under Burnham. Was this a deliberate ploy not to tarnish the legacy of Burnham with this form of discrimination? Or is the memory of these commentators limited to one generation (25 years)?
It is rumoured that Burnham took discrimination to the extravagance of saying that one has to be born as a PNC.
I could vividly recall seeking a teaching job after leaving School in the early 1980s. I was told that I have to get a party card, point blank by a guy named Shepard at the Labor exchange at Anna Regina.
In those days I was sporting a soft textured afro, being a Guyanese of mixed race; that did not help me. My point here is that while the PPP did it, discrimination along party lines has it genesis in the Burnham PNC era and all the commentators conveniently failed to mention that in their missives.
The discrimination in Burnham’s PNC era was so crass that by 1992 the public service could have, conservatively look like 85% Afro and 15% indo Guyanese. Despite all the hue and cry about discrimination for 23 years of the PPP by the commentators who came in defense of Volda I do not believe the disparity in figures changed beyond 80% Afro and 20% Indo Guyanese in the public service for the 23 years of the PPP and I don’t hear the Indo commentators screaming their lungs out for equity in employment in the public service.
Most of the commentators cited the PPP for removing people in top positions in their 23 years. Governments usually want their own trusted people in high places- that is understood. The Coalition in three years has removed a lot of Indo Guyanese from high places too. None of the commentators found it convenient to mention that.
I have heard Indo supporters of the PPP accuse the PPP of not doing enough for Indo Guyanese as compared to Afro Guyanese in the form of developmental projects and assistance to communities.
The blame game is exhausting! The public service cannot employ everyone. As a result there will be perception of discrimination in employing people for the public service. But! For a minister to publicly express intent to discriminate, takes this concept of Government discrimination to an unprecedented level.
Sadly! None of the commentators were willing to acknowledge that.
The good book says that a man is not defiled by what goes down to his stomach but by the words that comes out of his mouth. Volda said what she said and apologized to the public but the Dragons that came in her defense continued to spew fire, defiling themselves in the process.
I can’t imagine how their continued biased procrastination, belittles them after Volda’s apology.
Rudolph Singh

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