Dear Editor,
Tacuma Ogunseye, a leader of the WPA, in his recent writings in the press, has been consistent in his messaging, “Oil, Oil, Oil” and the need for power sharing and equality over the expected windfall. The state reacted with overkill to his passion for social justice. The WPA’s mantra is that all Guyanese must immediately access the oil funds by means of a cash disbursement to ensure that they have possession the most basic necessities of life in the present. In the present, not as a promise of a better tomorrow, but to give relief from the very sufferings of today.
The WPA’s message, articulated by Ogunseye, is that the miracle of oil dollars has created the reality of a new dawn for Guyana. The PPP government is in full agreement with the WPA’s vision of a better tomorrow. But they do not want to do so as a government of “we, the people”. They want to do so as “We, the PPP”. We can “feed, clothe, and house the nation”. We do not have to “eat less, sleep less, and work more”. We do not have to “tighten our belts” to stave off hunger. We do not have to deny sugar workers and bauxite workers a decent standard of living, these two industries that were pitted against each other in the past as the football of the political parties and governments.
What have we witnessed over the past five years? As the oil dollars became money in the bank, the politics of Guyana took a turn for the worse. The APNU+ AFC government resisted the electoral results faced with the reality of surrendering the oil money to the PPP. The PPP government, upon gaining control of the oil money, claimed the opposition had no legitimacy, having refused to accept the government as the winner of the elections. It used the oil money as a party resource to buy off sections of the opposition supporters.
The opposition was in a state of disarray. The WPA had removed itself from the electoral arrangement. The AFC did the same at a later date. The PNC, which had used bullying tactics during its term of office because of its one-seat majority in parliament was now isolated and vulnerable. A split in the leadership immobilized it, with its former leader David Granger holding on to the role of Leader of the List, and its new leader Aubrey Norton as Opposition Leader. This is important because the opposition contested the elections as APNU + AFC, and the parliamentary opposition is made up of this entity. The breakup of the opposition outside of parliament does not automatically reflect itself in parliament, because of legal constraints.
Granger has given the WPA’s seat to a non-WPA nominee, despite the WPA’s objections. Norton seems incapable of fulfilling the WPA’s demand for its seat, indicating a split in the leadership of the PNC. Granger, the Leader of the List, has to remove his nominee and replace her with that of the WPA’s. This has not happened, indicative of a problem in the PNC, or a deliberate strategy by Granger and Norton to prevent the WPA to make its voice heard in Parliament. The end result is an ineffective opposition. In the meantime, the WPA has taken to the streets, holding public meetings, and attracting some support. This has alarmed the PPP, and to some extent, the PNC. And there was Tacuma Ogunseye. His messaging was a battle cry. He lit the torch of freedom with his demand that the oil dollars be used to feed, clothe, and shelter the poor and the powerless.
This humble market vendor, who submitted his resignation from his government job rather than compromise his integrity, can be likened to a man who rode a donkey compared to those who roar in their jaguars, presidential style. The rulers have decided that Ogunseye should be crucified for his message. In effect, they have sanctified him. Having pronounced judgment on him, then delivering him to the police, they now seek to wash their hands of him. Guyanese need to be reminded of the sign at Jonestown, that “those who forget the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat them”.
Sincerely,
Rohit Kanhai
