The fearful foundations of political apprehension

Oct 22, 2024 Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – The ghosts of 2001 are still lurking around Guyana’s politics. It is like a persistent odour that just won’t go away.

As the country approached the 2001 general and regional elections, a top official from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC) and its government was sweating bullets. He was so nervous you could practically hear his heart racing. This fellow, according to a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report that has been made public by Wikileaks, was convinced that Desmond Hoyte, then Opposition Leader, could unleash a whirlwind of violence to snatch those elections right from under the PPP’s noses. The official was fearful also that Hoyte could convince his supporters that the PNC could win the election.

The PPP official voiced concerns about potential violence in Guyana if the PPP won the upcoming elections. He highlighted Hoyte’s increasingly loud assertions that the only way the PNC could lose was if the PPP cheated, creating an expectation among PNC supporters that victory was guaranteed. The official feared this belief would only intensify as the elections drew closer, leading to an unstable environment.

The official’s fears were aggravated by the fact that the economy was not doing any favours either to the PPP. It was as if the economic gods were conspiring against them, and this PPPC bigwig knew it. With the nation’s coffers running low and discontent brewing like a pot of split-pea soup, he was acutely aware that voters were not happy. And you know what happens when people are unhappy—things can get real messy, real quick.

But that wasn’t all that was keeping this guy up at night. He was fearful that the leadership of the Guyana Defence Force might be more open to influence from the PNC. According to the CIA report, he, however, ruled out a military coup. He was also concerned about divisions within the party. This too was stated in the CIA report.

But it did not end there. The report also threw some serious shade on the rampant corruption brewing among the political elite. It turns out that this top official, according to the CIA report, felt that persons in both the PPP and the PNC were happily accepting cash from narcotics traffickers. Imagine that!

But wait, it gets better. According to the report, he claimed that China was playing footsie with the PNC, financially backing them. You think you’ve heard it all in Guyanese politics? That one is a hard pill to swallow.

Then, of course, we had the infamous Laurie Lewis, the Police Commissioner who, despite everyone and their mother knowing he was dirty, couldn’t be touched. According to the report, our anxious PPPC official had tried to persuade the PPP’s Central Committee to kick him to the curb, but to no success. The official felt that some of those party officials may have been beholden to the then Commissioner of Police for favours he had done for them.

So here we are today, and fear still seems to hold the key. The government is jittery, fearful and apprehensive like in 2001 that it could lose its now one-seat majority. In this regard, the hostility towards critics of the government isn’t just random; it’s the manifestation of a political class still living in the shadow of 2001. When you’re running scared, you lash out, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing now. Dissent is like a bee sting to the ruling party—uncomfortable and unwelcome.

The PPPC operates as if victory is assured in next year’s elections but the reality is that the party is sitting on shaky ground, and instead of facing the music, they’re choosing to hurl insults and shut down conversations. Instead of engaging with their critics, they’d rather put up walls and bark at anyone who dares to question their authority.

In the end, similar apprehensions as existed in 2001 are still playing a critical role in how the PPP operates today. Will that party ever learn to embrace dialogue instead of hostility? Or will they remain stuck in the past, afraid of their own shadows?

It’s time for the PPP to stop peeping through the curtains, hoping nobody sees their dirty laundry. The political scene needs cleaning, and it won’t happen by sweeping things under the rug. The ghosts of 2001 need to be confronted, not ignored.

If the PPP wants to build a brighter future, they must let the sunlight in. Otherwise, they’ll keep finding themselves running scared, and trust me, nobody wants to live in a house filled with shadows.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) 

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