A de facto one-party state

Sep 07, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
I am alarmed. For in watching, I sense developments that are indicative of a sad situation in this country. The more I look, the more I believe that it is not only sad (bad enough) but also ominous and pointing to the possibly sinister.
I don’t like where things are heading, and which could mean a de facto one-party state in this country. Democracy, never a strong point here, could deteriorate further still into the unthinkable, inclusive of anarchy.
On the one side, the ruling PPP gathers increasing strength and flexes its biceps more swaggeringly. On the other, the PNC is depleted by departures and atrophies in a long silent scream.
Rather interestingly, an ole-head strongman called on Sunday for the PNC to return to its roots. I interpret that to mean a return to the visions and practices when it held sway in the halcyon days post-1960 and pre-1992. I interpret further that this could mean primarily an all-Black party going it alone. Whether PPP or PNC, few are ready for the 21st century demands.
Editor, this is one of my problems with the culture of politics in this country. It is a fundamental premise of politics in progressive societies that it is about the future, and not about fixations over the past. Both the PPP and PNC, gibberish aside from them, live for the past, have made a killing from it. But I stray.
Now, as I examine Guyana’s political landscape, I feel not for the People’s National Congress, or its movers and shakers; they know how to prosper under any conditions. Instead, I first feel deeply for the plight of the peoples of Guyana; notice I said peoples, as in the plurality of our diversity. Then, I am worried about the aspirations of the over 200,000 citizens that voted for it, and who now languish in the dumps.
For if there is the old PNC, or a limited PNC, or no (next to nothing) PNC, then there is only the PPP. That, in and of itself, is frightening in its implications for the welfare of this country, especially those 200,000 PNC supporters, most of whom distrust and disdain the PPP.
I tender this, because after the fanfare and mock warfare of the new groups in the elections, matters have distilled to the minutiae of personal welfare. Meaning, take care first of self under the banner of public service. Specifically, even before the elections were officially over, there were many of the so-called fresh new faces and vibrant voices that positioned themselves smartly to be taken care of well in the aftermath of that grueling tussle.
This, in effect, signified that any compellingly dissident voices muffled themselves by yoking to the PPP bandwagon.
To me, this could mean no viable opposition to speak of, despite the promise of Mr. Joseph Harmon to give the PPP hell (he said ‘trouble.’)
Frankly, I have neither use nor credence in the histrionics of Mr. Harmon, who is proving himself a rhetorical Rasputin. But I am apprehensive that the longer that the PNC stays drained, distracted, and distressed, this is to the unequalled advantage of the PPP which is certain to be exploited.
At bottom, no strong opposition. Despite all those new faces and young presences (useless as to substance or resistance) under the PPP triumphal arch, it is still controlled, manipulated, and choreographed by one man, surrounded by a group of likeminded, but lesser, men and women. Guyana can trust them; I don’t. Guyana can hope in them; I don’t. We would only have a nastier, more brutish, and unrestrained PPP answerable to nothing, standing for nothing, other than the self-enriching and poisonous.
Thus, there remains only those few vociferous and unruly media commentators to stand at the bridge and challenge the PPP bulldozer. Not a problem, they could be either managed or overwhelmed, if necessary. This is bad for Guyana. Then again, this is the democracy-of cult leadership, of newcomer conversions of self-servers, and of the nationally dispiriting-that we have always known. A weakened PNC, or an old-line PNC, plays into the PPP’s hand; maybe, it has a hand in some of the PNC ills and developments, too.
Guyana should be troubled, as I am. I am angry, too, at an opposition PNC that simply meanders about cluelessly.
This is ominous and sinister. It is a new day, but one riddled with the same old ways.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall

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