Dear Editor,
The recent spate of letters and columns in both SN and KN concerning the so-called split in the PPP as it approaches the local and general elections are all off the mark in more ways than one. The dismissal of Mr Chandarpal from the OP is the genesis of all the fanfare and hoopla about the apparent splits in the PPP leadership and all the talk of ‘third term’ is what it is, just talk. The PPP is well aware of its problems on the ground, among their supporters in particular, and the powers (that be) are all united in one basic tenet: winning the next round of elections in this country at all costs. Thus, as everyone can see, the money spigot is now being turned on; look at Berbice, after years of neglect the Black Bush area is receiving lots of money from the government and the politics of hand-outs are obvious to all. The ministers, President and PPP functionaries are all present at the hand-outs of promises and instant cash to the most affected communities. The election campaigns have started for the PPP and they’re waiting for no-one.
In the meantime, the role of the politicians in the opposition is being abrogated by particular so-called columnists who insist in diverting our attention from the real issues facing the Guyanese people as we get nearer to election time. Letters in SN and KN which try to demolish the great name of President Cheddi constantly are, in fact, designed to attack the PPP when, really, they simply turn off potential voters for change; the present PPP administration has definitely not upheld the great principles of governance which President Cheddi envisioned and which he enforced by living what he preached. Attacking Jagan only helps those in Freedom House who claim to be the guardians of Jagan’s legacy to hold onto his continuing aura vis-à-vis sections of the electorate who will always love and cherish his contribution to this country. These letter-writers and columnists have nothing substantial to contribute to the future of this country except to distort, lie and misrepresent the great works by President Cheddi for the betterment of Guyana; the skeletons in their own closets would make Michael Jackson ‘s thriller album look like a Sunday school picnic Cheddi Jagan was a leader who looked for consensus in major decisions affecting the PPP, and with his death things have changed for the worse, because whatever anyone says, Jagan was not corrupt and not self-centered. Unlike what these pseudo-intellectuals think, Jagan is still well respected and loved by the majority of the Guyanese people.
These letter and column writers who now speculate as to whether Jagan was a true revolutionary because he shunned violence do not let us know that should President Cheddi have gone to a violent confrontation in the past, we would still be fighting a race war in this country; just check out Lebanon, Somalia and Fiji and one will see what Jagan saved us from. Without President Cheddi, the present PPP is floundering in its lack of the consultative democratic processes he believed in; without Jagan, the PPP is floundering in its approach to corruption, bloated government and the human touch in its dealings, especially with the poorest sections of our society; without Jagan, the PPP is devoid of a leader with the international esteem, respectability, decency and the common touch which Guyanese love in their politicians; without Jagan, the present PPP group can offer no real vision, accountability nor innovative change, and that is why these false prophets who write in the SN and KN always go after Jagan in order to attack the present PPP. A teacher at UG always denigrates, ridicules and falsifies the Jagan name but he goes further in his attempts to denigrate the East Indian community by suggesting that somehow, in his convoluted mind, Indians should feel guilty for supporting Jagan and even blaming the Indians for “elected dictatorship.” As far as I remember, elections in this country have been relatively free and fair and most importantly, have been contested by all registered parties. What we really have is majority rule which, as Mahatma Gandhi said, is “brute force, has no place and will eventually fail.”
There are excellent opportunities in the upcoming elections to curtail and even remove majority rule once and for all from this country, and that is what we all should be concentrating on now.
Jagan did not believe in the rule of the majority alone and that is why, on many occasions in his illustrious political life, he favoured coalition government, involving all the people of this country, and he practised what he preached. The whole concept of the CIVIC was to involve the larger community outside the PPP, but with the death of President Cheddi, Mr Sam Hinds abandoned his mission to expand the civic component and decided to look after himself as the PPP’s core group consolidated their power while looking after themselves, all to the detriment of the general population. So, Editor, what we have is a PPP which is not the image of President Cheddi, but rather, an old guard looking to keep power in their hands against the developing stream of new ideas filtering slowly into the mainstream PPP. The mixed-up analyses mingled with gutter politics emanating from those writers who try to denigrate Cheddi Jagan will be to no avail because Jagan’s record of dedication to Guyana speaks for itself.
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr)
