Dear Editor,
The response and action of those who will be affected by the closure of Wales Sugar Estate support a theory of ethnic behaviour developed by scholars on ethnicity – ethnic solidarity supersedes class solidarity or class consciousness.
This behaviour contradicts the theory developed by Marx and supported by classical Marxists (including Cheddi Jagan) that the working class will unite across ethnicities and overthrow their oppressive government.
That has not happened anywhere in the world; if anything, people have become more ethnically divided and not even their worsening economic conditions have brought the working class across ethnicities together. It certainly has never happened in Guyana and is not likely to happen as exemplified by the actions of workers from Wales.
The (APNU or PNC-AFC) coalition government has decided to close down Wales Sugar Estate, putting 1700 directly out of a job and hundreds more who earn their living from supplying goods or services to the estate and to the workers. All business, farmers and the entire community will be affected by this decision.
Altogether, over 5000 jobs are on the line with some 4000 families affected. In terms of ethnic breakdown, nearly 40 per cent of the workers of Wales are AfroGuyanese (about 60 per cent Indo-Guyanese); about 30 per cent of the affected families are Afro-guyanese. There are also private cane farmers in the area nearly a third of whom are Afro-Guyanese.
It is a heavy farming community; a significant number of farmers are Afro-Guyanese. So all ethnic groups will be hurt but only Indo-Guyanese are fighting (leading) the battle to reverse government decision on closure of the estate.
The Afro-Guyanese are reluctant to join Indo-Guyanese in opposing the government decision to close the estate.
I interviewed hundreds of sugar workers, business people, professionals and farmers in Wales and surrounding area in March.
Almost everyone (including Afro-Guyanese) is opposed to the closure of the estate. But Afro-Guyanese are unwilling to join any protest movement (rallies and marches) or an ongoing (one day a week) strike by (Indo-Guyanese) sugar workers.
The Afro-Guyanese workers are unwilling to join or support Indo-Guyanese in a solidarity movement against the closure of the estate. The Afro-Guyanese do not want to publicly come out against their government; many are also embarrassed by their party’s decision.
Although the Afro-Guyanese are against the closure of the estate, they are not willing to come out publicly and join any protest movement against what they describe is their (APNU or PNC-led) government. They are prepared to swallow the decision of the leadership of their race and party even when they are opposed to the decision and even when their livelihood is at stake.
The Afro-Guyanese behaviour is not different from the behaviour of members of other ethnic groups; it is a rational decision on ethnic loyalty – not an economic one.
On several issues, Indo-Guyanese did not want to challenge the leadership of their ethnic party or policy blunders of their party; they did not want to risk their party losing power and as such remained quiet even though they grumbled against their party.
Afro-Guyanese, analogous to Indo-Guyanese did not or do not want their party to lose office. Afro-Guyanese, similar to Indo-Guyanese on other matters, don’t wish to challenge their ethnic party or government on the decision to close the estate.
That is the nature of ethnic politics worldwide; people are loyal to and support their ethnic party or government even when their own economic interests are at stake as it is clearly regarding Wales.
The Afro-Guyanese don’t wish to lose their jobs but they also don’t want to break with their party or engage in actions that will be inimical to the interests of their party to remain in office. But they want their government to reverse course on its decision to close the estate and for it to remain open or at a minimum to protect the jobs of fellow Afro-Guyanese.
If the Afro-Guyanese were guaranteed jobs (elsewhere) by their government, they won’t mind closing the factory, putting the rest of the workers out of a job – that is the nature of ethnic politics; there is no cross-racial labour solidarity on the closure of Wales – behaviour that supports the theory of ethnic loyalty.
Witness the people who engage in protests or who take strike actions; there is no cross-racial working class solidarity – in contradiction to Marx and Jagan.
It should be noted that at the recent local government elections in March, although the financial wellbeing of Afro-Guyanese of Wales are being threatened, the Afro-Guyanese still voted for their ethnic party (APNU or PNC). The Afro-Guyanese refused to give their votes to Indo-Guyanese candidates willing to fight for them or who are advocating for the reversal of the decision of closure of Wales.
The same is true across the rest of the country. In areas where the Afro-Guyanese broke from the PNC (APNU), they voted for other Afro-Guyanese groups or candidates not for Indo-Guyanese.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
