Stuart Kaufman, speaking of extreme cases of ethnic violence, suggests that politicians can only stir up ethnic discontent if there is some historical experience to support their positions. According to his symbolic political theory of ethnic violence, ‘people respond to ethnic symbols and mobilize …. only if a widely known and accepted ethnic myth-symbol complex justifies hostility to the other group’ (Erin K Jenne (2007) Ethnic Bargaining: The Paradox of Minority Empowerment).
Guyana is a tinderbox of ethnic symbols around which claims about discrimination are consistently and easily made and there are always sufficient extant grounds for making such claims. For example, the present regime has been accused of militarizing the government and even Pastor Wendell Jeffrey (so far as I know no relation or acquaintance of mine), who usually comes over as a critical supporter of the regime, could state:
