Dear Editor,
I write in response to Mr Mike Persaud’s missive ‘Hinds should be offered full membership in PPP’ (SN, Jan 28) in which he misconstrues and misstates my argument on ethnicity in general and on ethnic parties in Guyana and incorrectly attributes quotes to me.
Persaud penned that I wrote: “How can you have someone of a different ethnicity be elected to an ethnic party?” That is not correct and it would be an illogical interpretation of my view on ethnic membership, leadership or parliamentary representation as I have been involved in political struggles in Queens building multi-ethnic coalitions to increase the representation of my neglected community.
Also, Mr Persaud incorrectly represented my view when he wrote that I stated “it would be illogical” for the PPP and PNC to elect an African and an Indian to head each party respectively. My recollection is I wrote something to the effect, that if an ethnic party selects someone from another ethnic group as its leader then the party may no longer be viewed as representing the interests of the members of the ethnic party. I challenged Mr Persaud to state a case where his proposal of cross ethnic leadership was successfully executed – that is how one tests a theory. He has offered none after seven responses. One must distinguish between theory and reality; goals and proposals must be pragmatic, otherwise, one gets carried away with intellectual trash and may actually believe it.
I do not know how to dignify his other misinterpretation of my argument in which he states that I believe Guyana has legally constituted ethnic parties. But I offer one for his edification. The various constitutions of Guyana never addressed the concept of ethnic parties, but political parties themselves are legal.
Apparently Mr Persaud does not understand the concept of political perception (if it quacks like a duck, it is a duck). While in theory there may not be legal ethnic parties, in practice there are ethnic parties. Legal ethnic parties (de jure) were very prevalent in many societies but in recent years countries (particularly in Africa) have outlawed the formation of such parties. Kenya, for example, had de jure ethnic parties until 2008 and Uganda recently outlawed them. Libya outlawed ethnic parties in 2012 for its election. Turkey has also made ethnic parties illegal. Fiji, on paper, still has communal parties though the new constitution is likely to outlaw such voting. De facto, all these societies (including Northern Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Quebec) have what in essence are ethnic parties – appealing to voters based on ethnic affiliation and receiving almost all of their support from their ethnic affiliates. Such examples are prevalent in Africa and even lately media reports reveal that ethnic groups are making demands for resources to their groups via political entities in Bolivia, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru, where we least expect them. Even in Italy, Northerners have appealed to and campaigned on ethnic chauvinism and particularistic feelings and beliefs calling for the break-up of the country into North and South. In Italy, as in the recent past in the US, parties are careful about who is chosen in the leadership and as prime ministerial candidates. The Northern based Italian parties are biased against selecting a Southerner and vice versa. Also, in Iraq, the Shi’ites would never consider putting a Sunni to head their party or vice versa and neither would the Kurds put a Shi’ite or Sunni from elsewhere in Iraq as their leader.
The wave of democratization that has engulfed the world since the 1990s, following the collapse of communism, has not led to the rise of real multi-ethnic parties or prevented or even reduced ethnic voting even in advanced societies. Political systems with a long history of de facto constraints tied to ethnicity, never mind the de jure particulars, have not allowed political parties to effectively transform themselves into non-ethnic entities. Laws don’t prevent people from voting based on kinship or ethnicity. People have to be convinced to vote for a party not of their ethnicity because it is a better alternative and it will provide them with resources and security and they can have some kind of emotional attachment to it because it advocates their interests.
So far, in Guyana, at least, certain parties have not been able to win over non-ethnic supporters because of their attitudes and behaviour. There is ample evidence from the outcome of democratic elections in Guyana to prove this point. The parties in Guyana say they are not ethnic but in reality their support is ethnically defined.
With regard to whether Sam Hinds should join the PPP as a member, he was selected to head the Civic component of the alliance (whether the Civic exists or not is not the central point). As reported in the media, the PPP’s position is that the prime minister will come from the Civic and the presidential nominee from the party. The PNC adopted a similar position when it formed the PNCR. Membership alone or his ethnicity will not help him to become the presidential nominee. As a member, it will be virtually impossible for Mr Hinds to be become the presidential candidate taking into consideration that stalwarts like Moses Nagamootoo and Ralph Ramkarran who grew up building the PPP could not win the nomination. Clement Rohee and Gail Teixeira also tried but withdrew their candidacies recognizing reality. Ramkarran and Nagamootoo apparently withdrew because they felt the system was heavily stacked against them. It will also be impossible for Rupert Roopnaraine to become the presidential candidate of the PNC were he to become a member of that entity. Winston Murray, Carl Greenidge, etc, tried and failed to win the nomination because of voting issues. The AFC makes deals among the upper echelons on the selection of their nominees for president and prime minister.
The system of choosing nominees in all three parties is very restrictive and needs reform. Consideration should be given to embracing something like the primary system in America in order for a Hinds to become the nominee in PPP or a Roopnaraine in PNC. I have long advocated that it should be de jure for everyone to be able to join a party and be allowed to choose the leadership of the party as well as the nominees for all elective positions.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
