In his address to the nation after the 1964 elections, which brought his People’s National Congress (PNC) to government in coalition with the United Force, Forbes Burnham made an impassioned presentation about race/ethnicity in Guyana. He referred to the ‘apparent’ ethnic cleavage that existed in Guyana that had been brought about by the dishonest, deceitful, opportunistic, racist propaganda and policies of the PPP that had been able to convince a large section of the population to vote against his party. He claimed that all the peoples of Guyana, the Chinese, Amerindians, Portuguese, Indians, Europeans and Africans are equally important and would be treated as such by the PNC. According to him, the enemies of Guyana wanted to see it divided, but beginning immediately his government would behave fairly and will demonstrate to PPP supporters that there was nothing to fear but all to celebrate. The ‘apparent’ racial cleavage would thus be overcome as the country proceeded with its next major challenge – winning its independence from Britain.
