Dear Editor,
I take exception to the last sentence of Dr Melissa Ifill’s first paragraph in ‘History Today’ No.35/2008, SN, Aug 21, which refers to “…the reality that ethnicity was the dominant criteria used by the voting public.” I feel it reduced the thinking Guy-anese population into ethnic tribes voting solely on racial grounds, and feel it is poor for a local historian to facilely repeat a foreigner’s view that ethnicity in 1968 was the dominant criterion.
Did the fact that Dr Jagan appealed to a broader cross-section of the Guyanese population and had mass support from the working-class which made up the majority of the population never occur to her?
The third paragraph was interesting, as the world is still reeling from the sort of ‘expertise’ from the US State Department that would expect Burnham to convert the East Indian masses by recruiting a few high-profile East Indians after those masses were beaten and raped during the riots fomented by the CIA.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
This nameless letter writer fails to understand that even though Dr, Jagan enjoyed multi-racial support back in the forties and fifties, once Burnham split and formed the PNC, the PPP and PNC began appealing to Guyanese for support and votes along racial lines.
When Sam Hinds was first picked to be Cheddi Jagan’s running mate in 1990, Hinds said that since Indinas traditionally vote PPP and Indians outnumber blacks, then the PPP will win, so he, being a black man, will be a bridge between the Indian-dominated PPP and his fellow blacks.
Then there was Janet Jagan’s ‘Dont’ split the vote’ appeal back in the 1997 elections when Ravi Dev’s ROAR was winning support from Indians.
where is dev now.????????????????
Very interesting. Most important topic to be debated in Guyana.
Guyana is a country where “every last man votes race”. We should accept this as fact – then let us try to re-engineer the system to promote cross-racial voting.
Why is this important? Well for starters, what passes for democracy in Guyana is not democracy. Yes, we do have free and fair elections, but if Indians make up 50% of the electorate, then the Indian pary will win every election for the next 100 years.
At one of these future elections, Africans will feel so alienated from the system -they will get so mad, they will burn the town down and start ethnic violence.
(A whole school-of-thought has emerged calling for ethnic power sharing. Soon they will call for violence and partition)
So re-engineering the system is an absolute priority.
Where do we begin? Abolish the ethnic parties. Guyanese people have to start embarass the ethnic leaders – that means Jagdeo and Corbin. Ask the American Govt. and Carter Center to pressure these ethnic parties to end ethnic politics.
A simple and concrete step is for the PPP to elect an African to head the party. (They have a few fine, loyal, devoted members – Roger Luncheon, Clement Rohee). Ask the African party, PNC, to do the same. Of course this is just changing the way people will perceive the party in the future: nonethnic party.
Work to achieve cross-racial support. Increase your cross-racial support with each election cycle. This goal is very achievable.
The problem in Guyana is that neither of the ethnic parties has shown the least interest in winning cross-racial support. The PNC has insisted that only an African can head the party. This is meant to preserve the racial purity of the party – and it will only guarantee them African votes which will never be enough to win an election in the forseeable future. (African are only about 35% of the population).
President Jagdeo should and must feel a sense of shame at what happened at the last Congress – only 5 Africans out of 40 elected to the Central Executive Committee. Whose benefit does it serve to continue projecting the PPP as an Indian party?
If President Jagdeo would use his influence to transform the party into a genuine multiracial pary, he would go down in history as the President who has the courage and vision to end the era of ethnic politics. A new era of genuine multiracial democracy will be given a chance to emerge.
Before Burnham split the PPP and continue to destroy the country Guyana was a united country that is why the leaders or the PNC should first apoligize to guyanese then the PPP and PNC can elect an Amerindian or “Dougla” for their leaders then we will see an end to ethnics politics
it is not jagdeo ,or hinds fault that it only 4 memembers in the committee.
the ppp is an orgaisation ,that you can join and be elected to positions.
so if you like or dont like the ppp.exercise your democratic rights.
burham ss ramphal,me sorry me na train an indian fuh tek over de party.
I AM NOT A POLITICIAN NOR I AM WALKING THAT LINE. I AM VERY DISGUSTED OF THE FACT THAT WE KEEP BRINGING UP THE PAST. WE SHOULD LEAVE THE GARBAGE AT THE DUMPSTER AND MOVE FORWARD .AS A NATION WE ARE AT CROSSROADS WITH OUR SELVES .UNITY IS THE KEY WORD.UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL. WE NEED STRENGTH AND UNITY TO MOVE FORWARD . THESE POLITICIANS ARE ONLY LOOKING FOR SELF GRATIFICATION , WHILE THE MASSES ARE IN DARKNESS.WE AS GUYANESE MUST PUT ASIDE OUR DIFFERENCE .LET GO OF THE SKELETON S IN OUR CLOSETS AND MOVE ON IN UNITY .MAY GOD BLESS ALL OUR GUYANESE BROTHERS AND SISTERS AT HOME AND ABROAD .LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC.
The past is here to stay and be remembered AND mentioned. You surely didn’t grow upin the PNC error when Burnham and Hamilton Green was in full speed destroyong our country. You is a just come … I understand.
Once again Stabnews is encouraging these nameless persons with their diatribes if Dr ifill could sign off on what she has written, why can’t these people own up to their contributions. If they are afraid it make one wonder of the vindictiveness of the powers that be.
torbo to comment now;
….. many like torbo ,, r misguided by the pnc ,, whose pnly existence is to mislead !
Wrang headline. You mean he had mass support of INDIANS.
I with you coolieman. Let a Dougla run for President and be elected, that way no body can claim race preference.
Doh worry, I will go back to Guyana soon and be the first Dougla President. No more black and coolie bickering.
burham told,ss ramphal,”me sorry me na train an indian fuh tek over de party”