Dear Editor,
The daily shenanigans of David Granger and his cohorts are a test of the resolve of the Guyanese people like never before; the determination to disenfranchise Guyanese and subvert democracy is relentless and patience is wearing thin.
The question of what course of action should be taken is asked countless times as the frustration builds. As we enter the month of Ramadan, a period of fasting, prayer, and reflection, I believe the answer can be found in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: “For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
Those of you familiar with the Old Testament will know 3:1-8 speaks of “a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up” so which time are we in now? I firmly believe this is a time for healing and building.
The PPP has always been a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural party; under the stewardship of Bharrat Jagdeo, there have been honest and frank conversations in public of the perceptions of the PPP as a party of mainly Indo-Guyanese; there has been great effort put into making the membership more reflective of the make-up of the nation. There have been great gains in this direction and these must be protected and improved upon.
We should use this time to build, to start conversations about the way forward. Inclusivity must be with sensible, honest, decent people who hold great values for family and fellow man; it cannot be with this criminal cabal that is willing to use the COVID-19 pandemic to enrich themselves. Joe Harmon shut down the delivery of relief hampers to our vulnerable and needy citizens.
A fellowship of the willing has formed, Irfaan Ali’s National Stakeholders’ Initiative, Rotary, AmCham, the ‘new’ parties, and numerous other individuals and organisations have been working to fill the void left by the coalition of the unwilling. These are the cornerstones of Guyana’s inclusive future being laid before our eyes. The robber barons of the APNU/AFC must not be allowed to think they have a God-given right to plunder the resources of the nation.
As the APNU/AFC stands unmasked as the worst incarnation of the PNC, this is the time for all activists of the PPP/C to seek the company of persons who may have been ambivalent or those who supported the coalition but now have seen the true faces behind the masks; let us seek those who are willing to listen to the message of an inclusive future for all Guyanese and who may want to join/participate in making this a reality shortly.
All Guyanese are suffering from the doddering and dithering in Shiv Chanderpaul Drive; there is much to unite us for “No cause is left but the most ancient of all, the one, in fact, that from the beginning of our history has determined the very existence of politics, the cause of freedom versus tyranny” Hanna Arendt. Let us use this testing time to build and to heal and defeat those who want us to kill each other and break down the ties that bind us together.
Respectfully,
Robin Singh
