We need a wholesale intervention from ABC and EU countries

Feb 11, 2020 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

PROF DESMOND THOMAS IN HIS BOOK, “‘Electoral System Reform for a Diverse Nation, the Case of Guyana” stimulates thought and debate to help save a racially-broken country.
(1) The biggest obstacle to electoral reform . . . in this country is skepticism; after 50 years of living in this electoral system, nobody believes that we can do better,” [Thomas] said.
(2) “To move forward, we need to solve the ethnic problem,” he stated. We ended up with a highly polarised system and the identification of the two major parties with the two races has institutionalised the racial problem.”
(a) I have given up on the ethnic parties – PPP and PNC. They reinforce each other in their period grudge matches otherwise known as elections. They are locked in battle. So, no reforms are possible. These two parties must be outlawed from doing business. But that is not realistic.
(b) Suriname had tried something called Apanjhaat democracy – a system where everyone votes for his/her ethnic party; and the winning Combo shares the spoils proportionally. This too has its shortcomings. It broke down in Suriname.
(c) Ravi Dev proposed a system of Federalism as a solution. No one is interested. His concept never got debated.
(d) I like the concept of Federalism (though not Dev’s version). I am proposing a Federal Union with the United States or Canada. (Half of the Guyanese population settled in those two countries).
Arguments in favor
(1) ExxonMobil has oil drilling/refining operations in Oklahoma and Texas. But these States never felt pressured to offer sweetheart deals to EM, the way some men did. (These men negotiated a secret contract – and hoped to keep it hidden from the Guyanese people)
(2) Trotman says we need “protection” against Venezuela. Really? Well, the best protection can be obtained by seeking a Federal Union with the United States or Canada. And, we don’t have to enter “corrupt” sweetheart deals with ExxonM.
(3) When there is a problem in one of the 50-States: (Say California: Threat of riots over Rodney King verdict). Federal power enters, defuses and solves the problem. Guyana, a small State with the threat of race riots and violence always hanging over its head needs this sort of intervention of Federal power.
(4) Should the kind of Federal Union I am proposing becomes a reality, the principals of PPP and PNC may still run for State elective offices – but they will do so under different rules. Under the watchful eyes of Federal power. A different political culture will emerge. Winning elections for State offices will cease to be ethnic prizes.
(5) In a Federal Union with Canada or United States, Guyana’s products will have a bigger, ready-made duty-free market. (A market of 325 million in the U.S.) Billions of investment dollars will flow to Guyana to open factories and service industries. Within 10-15 years, per capita incomes will begin to approximate that of the US or Canada. Guyanese people will be free to live in other states of the Union. (Right now, everyone in Guyana, including Guyanese politicians, wants green cards for the U.S./Canada). Now that’s real freedom. Of course, not many will opt to move. Why? Development and same living standards will come to Guyana. [Fact: all the states that join the Union in the 1800’s – Texas, California, New Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska – today approximate the same levels of social and economic development].
(6) Given the corruption in the Oil Contract, Guyana is on the path to become a resource-cursed country (like Angola, Venezuela, Nigeria). In a Federal union with United States, there is zero-chance of such corruption going undetected, unpunished.
Arguments Against
Lots of folks will label my proposal a Sellout; Recolonization scheme, etc. None bothers to explain their arguments. They tend to attack the messenger. Neither U.S. nor Canada is interested in Colonization schemes. The idea of a Federal Union is really a package of terms to be negotiated. Just as, say, NAFTA was negotiated and approved in referendums by the States involved. Joining a Federal Union with U.S. or Canada is not less, but more freedom for all the Guyanese people.
Think of these facts
Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in 1990. A war followed. U.S. led a Coalition of some 20-countries. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia paid back every dollar that the war cost. Are Guyanese officials really worried about a Venezuelan invasion? A Federal Union with the United States or Canada is the answer. We get the military protection we need plus a host of other bonus benefits. Let the Guyanese people be free – to enjoy greater freedoms. Isn’t that the reason why half the population moved out and settled in North America?
The ideology of the PNC is ethnic triumphalism. Ethnic domination over the other races. The evidence is abundant. I know. I met President Granger in his office in July 2015. I asked him about the 90 out of 125 appointments that went to Afro-Guyanese. I said: “Mr President, don’t you want to win over an Indian-base of support? To win the next elections?” President Granger told me he will correct the problem in the months ahead. On a scale of 1 to 20 (20 = max worse), the problem quickly became a 20. Shortly after 16 out of 17 permanent secretary appointments went to Afro-Guyanese.
Guyana is locked in a bad political system – supported and reinforced by both PNC and PPP. Guyana needs to be saved. Elections will not do it. We need a wholesale intervention from ABC and EU countries.

Yours truly,
Mike Persaud

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