Dear Editor,
Guyanese were united as a people in our struggle for Independence from our English colonial masters. Yet, due to the split in the PPP which led to the formation of the PNC under Forbes Burnham and PPP under Cheddi Jagan Guyana remains a disunited country even in the 21st century.
This disunity is exacerbated by the racial polarization between African Guyanese who mainly support the PNC and Indian Guyanese who mainly support the PPP. The Amerindians are evenly split between the PNC and the PPP.
Guyanese, for the most part, live peacefully side by side except during elections time.
Our intention is to make our motto (One People, One Nation, One Destiny) more meaningful and relevant to Guyanese. There is a need to bridge the racial divide in Guyana. This can only be achieved from the grass-roots level as the political class is not conducive to an amicable solution from which everyone will benefit.
We will hold consultations with Guyanese, both locally and in the diaspora, so that we all come to acknowledge that politics and economics are not the answers to the issues affecting the Guyanese nation. We are not a political party; we are a movement. We want a united Guyana.
We feel that a national conversation on unity needs to be initiated.
When every Guyanese feels that the politicians across the political divide are working for their benefit and that they have an equal share in the resources and opportunities in Guyana then we would have arrived as a united Guyanese nation.
Entrenched racial polarization is difficult to change so the end results may not be immediate and apparent. There is a lot of propaganda out there from both sides of the political divide that creates and sustains racial polarization. We all have our differing opinions, political views, etc. Let us argue, get upset, then scratch our heads and come up with solutions to our many problems. If people agree with me that racial polarization must end, then they should join the United Guyana Party. We do not want any money; they should just spread the word that Guyanese want to be united as One People, One Nation, One Destiny.
Yours faithfully,
Sean Ori
