Dear Editor,
The APNU-AFC Coalition’s victory in Guyana was made possible by the priceless contributions of Guyanese of all ethnicities and social class. Women and men voted and gave moral and practical support. The elderly, the not so old and the very young came forward in their numbers. In the end it was a Guyanese victory for all Guyanese.
But we would be dishonest if we did not recognize the particular role played by the African Guyanese section of the electorate. Some analysts have contended that it was the increased votes in Region 4 that ultimately made the difference. Perhaps the craziness that accompanies any discussion of race and ethnicity precludes any such assertion. So, at the risk of being accused of introducing race, let me be the first to do so openly and unambiguously.
African Guyanese were the majority ethnicity of the Unity Train. The African Guyanese youth led the way, casting off the curse of apathy and disinterest in public politics. Young Black men, often the most abused section of our society, stepped up as never before. African Guyanese women, of all ages and classes, were constant mothers, daughters and sisters of the flock.
And most of all, when the PPP, in the days after the election tried to provoke African Guyanese, the people displayed a patience that nailed the lie of the angry, violent African. Finally, the African Guyanese community showed an unbelievably high level of respect for their non-African comrades in the Unity Train. Moses Nagamootoo was embraced not as a token, but as a brother-leader-in arms.
As they did in 2011, African Guyanese voted for National Unity, Equality and Mutual Respect and in the process have helped to lift our collective political culture. As an African Guyanese who believes in an equal unity, I salute the African Guyanese Sisterin and Brethren. Big up the Massive.
Yours faithfully,
David Hinds
