The obsession with race comes at the expense of more broadly based alliances to effect social change

Dear Editor,

Raising the question of the absence of class politics as a medium of political mobilization in Guyana was intended to begin a discussion on the subject. I believe that there is a major analytical problem in Guyana that has plagued political thought and practice with regards to the fundamental understanding of the relationship of class and race. This is because there is an absence of adequate theorizing generating a fundamental understanding of this question. The failure is manifested in the fact that our politics has for too long been overwhelmingly based on political mobilization along racial lines, which undermines genuine social change.

In his letter captioned “Multi – national capital and the question of social class” ( KN 07.02.17), Dr. Randy Persaud raised the question of the role of MNCs in the development of third world economies and the formation of social class, which was a follow up to my previous discussion on the subject of class politics in Guyana. I must thank Dr. Persaud for engaging this discussion.

Indeed post socialist societies have begun to recognize that Multi-National Corporations, which were once rejected as capitalist exploiters in the Marxist analysis, can now play an important role in the development of capital in developing economies. Dr. Persaud is correct that though these entities are exploitative they do produce employment in developing economies, which are unable to produce adequate employment for their citizens. In fact, MNCs in the free market place are responsible for substantial economic growth in emerging Asian economies that once experimented with the socialist model. This new dispensation has begun to turn the focus back on class interest, as economic gaps widen, and inequality in development becomes more apparent. It is up to governments to introduce proper regulatory frameworks to address the problem of fair wage distribution.

Mr. Tacuma Ogunseye in his letter captioned “Several factors have pushed local politics in the direction of race rather than class” (07.02.22) has made very informative and interesting observations on why Guyana’s politics is based on race rather than class. His constructive criticism of my argument is well taken.

Mr. Ogunseye is absolutely correct that those factors he mentioned and others (see Mr. Ogunseye’s letter) are responsible for the removal of the class analysis from Guyana’s politics. However, I am sure Mr. Ogunseye would admit that before the advent of the Working People’s Alliance, political mobilization along racial interest rather than class interest influenced heavily Guyana’s politics; that only the WPA political philosophy was concerned with genuine working class interest and building class and racial alliances, to address inequalities in the society. It should be noted also that references to Walter Rodney are usually a search for guidance. None of us know what approach Rodney would take to confront today’s issues, but what we are assured of is his moral commitment to dealing with issues.

Since 1992, it seems that the PPP administration has concluded that, since they have a numerical advantage, it is more beneficial for them to mobilize along racial lines. As such resource distribution and other governance policies have been geared toward satisfying its racial constituency. This is to ensure continued victory.

I am contending that if the question of race continues to be used as a medium of political mobilization then, given Guyana’s demographics, Guyana will be ruled by one party for an extensive period of time. Opposition political parties in Guyana must change the conversation, and their method and mode of mobilization. I am further contending that the question of racial parity in Guyana, as an issue to confront and transform must be an effort for the ethnic based organization. For example, African Guyanese mobilizing to deal with issues of marginalization and economic disparity in resource distribution must be done within a strategy, such as Eric Philips’s African Guyanese renaissance movement, the ideal of which must be to organize African Guyanese to find solutions to the crisis. Indian organizations must be allowed to do the same. The ethnic based organizations must be activist organizations for the interest of their ethnic group, not activist against other ethnic groups.

It must be realized that broad socioeconomic redistributive measures require principled coalitions including multiracial alliances. Without such measures racial equality cannot be achieved. The danger we are faced with is that an obsession with racism comes at the expense of more broadly based alliances to effect social change, and borders on a tribal mentality that is detrimental to progress.

Yours faithfully ,

Dennis Wiggins