Dear Editor,
There is no doubt that Guyana is racially divided. This division becomes exacerbated at election time because our people vote for the party that is perceived to represent their desire for the ‘awee pon top’ position. Guyanese politicians and external forces have used this national weakness to manipulate the people and bring about change of government.
At this time we must all commit to working to create a political culture where politicians are judged by their record and not their ability to garner support by appealing to base insecurity, tribalism and triumphalism. This is an opportunity and the work will take time, but we must do it in order to create a modern, equitable, safe democracy.
Some will take advantage of this period of transition to express racism, incite disorder, taunt and threaten, and we are already beginning to see this. We must remain vigilant and hold the new government to its mantra of a “unity government” and demand it addresses these incidents expeditiously and aggressively. They must not be taken lightly or whitewashed away. The video on facebook of a drum painted in PPP colours tied to a vehicle and beaten with a stick by a gleeful crowd of young, African people as it is dragged along the road, is most disturbing.
I personally believe that it is unhealthy for one political party to be in power for too long. It breeds arrogance, corruption and behaviours that suggest members of that government feel they can do whatever they want.
We can identify as Indian, African or any other label we choose. In the meantime we have a nation to build, a Guyanese nation where every group, irrespective of race, religion, cultural expression or gender, feels Guyana is their country, and everybody else’s at the same time.
Yours faithfully,
Rohan Sooklall
