What, if not peaceful politics?

Nov 21, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

I respond to Tacuma Ogunseye s letter, Opposition politics and the African- Guyanese position are not one and the same (KN 11-17-22), which was a riposte to my intervention, The oppositions struck-in-the-past mode provided critical opportunities for the PPPs well-oiled machinery. I made the point that Guyana now being is a nation of minorities, while ethnicity still dominates politics, any party that desires to take office which is their raison detre must attract voters outside of their ethnic bases.

Tacuma claims that Dev is confusing general opposition politics and the politics of the AfricanGuyanese (African) condition. If so, I would like Tacuma to explain why the politics of the African Guyanese condition cannot be articulated within our political system?? If, for instance, as I suggested the Opposition takes a more accommodative stance towards non-African Guyanese, are there not political parties like the present WPA that takes a more Afro-centric position to highlight African interests? Or African Guyanese cultural groups like ACDA that does the same from within civil society? I am hoping Tacuma has not again given up hope of our political system delivering justice to African Guyanese, as he evidently did following the 2002 Prison outbreak and defended the bandits holed up in Buxton as an African Armed Resistance. In a 2007 letter, A multi-racial front against the Government is not possible, in addition to street protests, he proposed the option to support an armed resistance and give it political legitimacy.

Later, on the eve of the 2011 elections, after ACDA had called for street protests against the PPP, which I had argued against, Tacuma on behalf of the group delivered his riot act speech. ”If we win, we sharing the Government with them but we also have to tell them that if we lose, we are going to fight and bring Guyana to a halt until we have a national Government in which the representatives of African people and the combined opposition is part of parliament. Comrades, we are announcing the riot act…Once the African people rise up in their great numbers, I dare the army to take the side of the PPP and against Africans. Our sons and daughters would not do that…Come elections night when the results come out, Africans must have a share in the Government, there must be a national Government or there will be no Guyana!” Interestingly after the PPP was neutralized in 2011 and defeated in 2015 by the combined Opposition and were not brought into any national government, ACDA did not “bring Guyana to a halt”.

In his recent letter, Tacuma concedes that while Guyanese elections is an ethnic census, it is possible, as…in the 2015 elections, that there can be a deviation from the norm. But the real question is, is it sustainable? But thats the point, isnt it? It is up to the PNC to make the politics of moderation and accommodation to attract outside voters, sustainable. As I pointed out, the PPP has gone so far in that direction that the Opposition is now strenuously engaged in physically preventing them from entering their strongholds. In terms of armed resistance, I repeat the question posed then by Dennis Wiggins, using the title of Mr Eusi Kwayanas book. What happens The Morning After such an armed struggle in such a small society as ours?

Sincerely,

Ravi Dev

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News