Kite distribution during Easter by the political parties and the Government has become a national tradition. This past weekend saw prominent distribution by the President and by the Leader of the Opposition and leaders of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). The President did it in style, claiming that the Government spent some $30 million on kites. He used a helicopter to fly into various communities, spent a short time handing out kites. He travelled with the trappings of Government, but distributed kites rich with the symbolism of A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change/People’s National Congress (APNU/AFC/PNC). Taxpayers should not be paying for an APNU/AFC event.
There is a time and place for politics. When a political party is elected to lead government, it is the Government of ALL the people, not just for the supporters of that political party and not just for those who voted for them. When a political leader becomes the President, he or she becomes the President of the people and must just as stoutly and just as vigorously promote and defend the rights and welfare of every citizen, whether that person voted for him or her. That is what a democracy is all about. Mature and respected leaders must separate their roles in Government from their roles as leaders of a political party.
In the last three years, the lines of separation between promoting the interest of the political party and that of the Government have not only been blurred, they have been deliberately and brazenly eliminated in favour of party paramountcy. There is no Government of the people, but an APNU/AFC machinery that has replaced Government. David Granger sees protecting and promoting the interest and welfare of APNU/AFC and their supporters as paramount and they behave as if the 2015 election has given them a mandate to replace a Government with an APNU/AFC machinery, where everything begins and ends with APNU/AFC.
Over the Easter weekend, instead of seeing our government, the government of the people, mixing and celebrating Easter with our citizens, we saw the President brazenly engaged in self-aggrandisement and promoting the interest of APNU. The kites distributed, with Mr Granger on hand, were only in green colour (APNU/PNC) or sometimes mixed with yellow (AFC). No other coloured kites were part of the kite distribution by the President and the Government. Worst, all kites had the picture of Granger on them. I would have no problem if the kite distribution events were clearly listed as an APNU/AFC event. But at all times, the events were booked as the President in a Government activity funded by taxpayers. The President should not be distributing APNU/AFC paraphernalia as part of a Government activity.
Kite distribution by the President is not a new thing. It became popular under a PPP Government when kites were distributed in communities across Guyana and, most importantly, were procured from vendors in and across the communities. The colours were never imposed on the vendors and no political party was identified by colour or picture or any symbol. Granger abandoned this tradition and opted for a party-liked activity paid for by taxpayers. The Leader of the Opposition and his party leaders this Easter weekend also distributed kites, but they distributed across Guyana and without any identification of the PPP as part of the kites distributed, although they had a right.
Using party colours and paraphernalia and pictures of party leaders in national events have become the standard in Guyana since 2015, recalling the days of Burnham and the PNC. Pictures of the President and Ministers at events and even in promoting national events are not unexpected. But as President and Ministers of the Government of Guyana, not as leaders of APNU/AFC. Yet today we see them dressed in party colours and always ensuring all decorations comply with party colours and symbols. All buildings are now painted green, even fences. The State House which belongs equally to the citizens of Guyana has been painted in the colour of APNU. The Presidential Office is now painted in the colours of APNU/AFC, even the fences.
The 2015 election did not give a mandate to take over the country, it gave a mandate to govern for all the people. But should anyone be shocked? This is in the tradition of Burnham and the PNC. Remember even the exercise books in schools had to have Burnham’s picture. At least Burnham had a rationale – he had boldly, even if arrogantly and illegally boasted of party paramountcy. This APNU/AFC cabal is instituting party paramountcy but afraid to say so. This group is thoroughly hypocritical, embracing party paramountcy but calling it democracy. It is the autocratisation of the country.
