Dear Editor,
Although the concept of gaslighting is not widely used in Guyana, I know of no better construct that can highlight what, at times, transpires in the media. In fact, gaslighting is going wild here.
I asked ChatGPT for a definition, and here is what I got – “Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which one person or group causes another to question their own reality, memory, or perceptions. The goal is often to gain control, avoid accountability, or undermine the victim’s confidence and sense of self.” This is a perfect description for a piece published in the press yesterday that reads as follows: “The People’s National Congress (PNC) is, by every measure that matters, more democratic than the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).” (6/24/2025).
Let me make the following points clear. First, excepting in one instance, the PNC has rigged or attempted to rig every election since 1973. This includes referenda and their own party elections. Secondly, the PNC has regularly resorted to intimidation or even violence (e.g., via Rabbi Washington) to achieve its goals. And thirdly, if democracy implies economic growth and human development, then PNC policies have delivered persistent decline and massive suffering. Nothing democratic there!
By contrast, and contrary to the attempted gaslighting by C.S. Singh, the PPP has defined processes for party governance, including selection of its leaders at all levels. Its economic policies are arrived at through deep and wide consultations in electoral districts across the country. The same engagement is availed to civil society from different ethnic and racial groups, religious leaders, women’s groups, trade unions, and private sector organisations.
The suggestion that the PNC is more democratic than the PPP is more than absurd. It is asinine. Thankfully, the Guyanese people have more common sense than the ‘gaslighter’ might have calculated.
Sincerely,
Dr Randy Persaud
