Striving to bridge Guyana’s racial divide

Jul 30, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Guyana’s societal relations of racial-ethnic segmentation resides deep in the bowels of colonialism with a history of prolonged indifference, and suspicion, promoted and nurtured by colonizers to ensure domination and control over Afro and Indo Guyanese, the majority population. For anyone to expect cooperation and solidarity between these two groups in just a few years would be foolhardy. This is especially so since some politicians, and their ardent supporters, promote racial-ethnic politics to foment strife, discontent, and unrest in order to elevate and prop themselves up as leaders or representatives of the people.

To date, the PPP/C government, with President Irfaan Ali in the forefront, has taken steps to bridge the racial-ethnic divide. As they continue to seek solutions, they face many challenges in the formation of One Guyana – a unified nation fashioned from the residues of colonization. In their efforts, they must tackle the historical inculcation and indoctrination of racial-ethnic indifference and mistrust – societal characteristics of divisiveness regularly exploited by post-colonial politicians in search of power.

Striving to bridge Guyana’s racial-ethnic divide requires prolonged commitment. While President Irfaan dealt with some of the everyday concerns through his community outreach campaigns, the core issues of racial and ethnic indifference and mistrust are complex and not altogether eliminable. Yet, within Guyana, racial and ethnic groups, to varying degrees, continue to reside harmoniously in integrated and separate communities even though their social-cultural existences remain distinctive. It is this uniqueness of harmonious co-existence that needs to be harnessed in the formation of a One Guyana.

One of the elements of the cross-cultural uniqueness is Afro and Indo crave for the ‘same wants.’ Guyanese of all persuasions desire the comforts in life, housing, adequate health services, safety, education for their children, and most importantly, equal opportunity for socio-economic success. These wants factor into the perceptions of racial-ethnic inequality that fuels indifference and mistrust and become fodder for politicians seeking to disrupt societal harmony in their lust for power. However, when equality gradually displaces inequality, indifference and mistrust suffers erosion.

It would be presumptuous to assume that Guyana’s societal inequality can be eradicated, or that total equality in a racially-ethnically segmented society can be achieved. However, what is achievable is the provision of equal opportunities for Guyanese social and economic advancement. The PPP/C government has already crafted a course towards societal integration as evidenced in improvements of health services, education, pension and old age assistance, provision of house lots, homes, and other infrastructural developments.

However, what seems to lag are opportunities for regular gainful employment, living wages and better returns for fish, farm, and animal products. The vast majority of Afro and Indo Guyanese reside in rural villages, in a country that operates under a dual economic system, a rural agricultural, proletarian-peasant sector, and an urban industrial-professional sector. This dual economy enabled the small population of urbanites –residents in the only semi-metropolitan city, Georgetown – to enjoy socio-economic success while the vast majority, primarily rural residents, remain relatively poor.

Poverty is an equal opportunity socio-economic suppressor. It also does not discriminate by race or ethnicity. Daily, many rural Afro and Indo Guyanese live this reality. Hence, the government would benefit from prioritizing solutions to poverty for it will facilitate the normalization of indifference and mistrust between Afro and Indo Guyanese. This assumption may seem farfetched to some but, when one examines the dynamics of indifference and mistrust, it most often is directed towards the government.

Most notably, PPP supporters distrust a PNC government, and PNC supporters distrust the PPP government. By continuing to address problems of poverty, and providing opportunities for socio-economic success across racial lines, the government would begin the process of lessening Afro-Indo indifference and mistrust – societal relations based on the perception of whether one group benefits more from governmental power.

What is one thing the poor have in common? It is their labour. What do the poor want most? They want what the rich have. So, the first step is for them to have opportunities to monetize their labour. In addressing problems of poverty, policy makers must be cognizant that Afro and Indo Guyanese have different perceptions and approaches to opportunities for socio-economic advancement – i.e., how to monetize their labour. For example, an Indo farmer with 5 acres of agricultural land my wish for 10 to 15 acres and an Afro individual raising livestock may wish to expand his stock from 100 to 500. In such instances, policy makers would benefit by being attentive to the peoples’ proposed solutions instead of formulating policies that THEY – individual policy makers – think will address poverty. People often know more about their problems and probable resolutions than elected or appointed bureaucrats. Their indigenous knowledge would be beneficial to the government.

Hence, instead of monopolistic large-scale agriculture, or livestock rearing that requires, and relies on the exploitation of wage labour, numerous small-scale economic enterprises would better serve the rural population. Local ownerships of small-scale enterprises, imbedded within the community, are more suitable to Guyana’s widely scattered population. These keep more rural residents gainfully employed while fulfilling local needs. Production that satisfies both local and external markets – along lines of agro-industrial economic development- have a greater probability of success in addressing poverty, and alleviating racial-ethnic indifference, and mistrust. Guyana’s predominantly rural, racially-ethnically segmented, and widely scattered population would benefit more from regional planning with varying small scale agro-industrial activities.

It should not be forgotten that many well-intentioned developmental policies, promulgated by the government, without careful regional planning, and local input, have failed to produce expected results. Some may recall Burnham’s PNC ‘Cooperative’ policies which impoverished more people instead of uplifting them economically.

Overall, infrastructural development by itself would not bridge the Afro-Indo racial-ethnic divide within the country, or improving the lives of Guyanese unless it is accompanied by changes to the dual economy.

Relating to Guyana’s dual economy, the modernization and industrialization of Georgetown and areas in close proximity – e.g., Ogle to Eccles, cannot employ everyone and uplift the poor who are likely to become poorer. Even the development of another Georgetown would not improve the lives of the majority or bridge the indifference and mistrust between Afro and Indo Guyanese. Access and opportunities for social and economic advancement will.

To date, Irfaan, Jagdeo, Phillips, and the PPP/C in general, have taken several steps to uplift Guyana socially and economically. Yet, difficulties remain. As the Argentinean philosopher Jorge Luis Borges reminds us in his essay, “The Garden of Forking Paths,”-the future is dependent on present decisions which in turn is influenced by the past, all intertwined in a labyrinth of converging and diverging choices and decisions, none simple. In short: The task of good governance is one of difficult decisions and few choices.

Regards,

Narayan Persaud, PhD.

Professor Emeritus

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• daily, Emeritus, Narayan Persaud, PhD Professor

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