Dear Editor,
The PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/Civic ) has repeatedly accused the opposition forces of evoking racial discrimination as a political tool. The PPP/C claims that there is no credible evidence to support those allegations. They (PPP/C) cite the equitable distribution of house lots, the allocation of GOAL (Guyana Online Academy of Learning) scholarships, public sector employment, and training programmes, among others, in which Afro-Guyanese, for example, are represented more than their proportion in the general population.
Notwithstanding this body of evidence, opposition’s accusations continue to flow unimpeded while the temptation to exploit this vulnerability is real. At a meeting in Linden among President Ali, family members of the two slain Lindeners, and community leaders, opposition elements attempted to politicise that tense and unfortunate situation. The APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) MP Mr Jermaine Figueira chided them for their distasteful behaviour. “If we continue down this path of division, destruction, disunity, and injustice, where does it leave us? Who wins? (4/11/25).
A few core values of the “One Guyana” philosophy are to bring people together, to share their values and experience, and to respect their faith and culture. Despite these and other noble principles incorporated in this evolutionary philosophy, progress on this path has not been smooth. Although there is encouraging evidence of a movement away from race-based politics towards the centrality of issues and policies, this movement has yet to pick up enough stream to make it formidable. It is being impeded by historical and pragmatic forces. Mr Aubrey Norton (4/11/25), for example, accuses the PPP/C: “They have incited fear, among our people to divide and rule. They used the police to intimidate and stoke unrest and ethnic insecurity.” A PPP/C member responds: “this is classic psychological projection; Mr Norton must know that he is describing his own party and not the PPP/C.”
Corruption is another political tool that the opposition would exploit. Corruption is common in situations where a country is undergoing rapid social and economic transformation. One economist says that corruption is a byproduct of development. On a recent return visit to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and South Korea, Professor Muniram Budhu notes the tremendous transformation of those countries but also indicates that the people are unhappy about the prevalence of corruption. Another observation was that despite rapid transformation, there still exists social and economic disparities.
Corruption allegations in Guyana are often linked to procurement and mostly involve top politicians, leading to a perception that corruption is limited to this group. Mr JC Bhagwandin states that these allegations exceed reality. In 2024, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) received just 10 complaints of malpractice amidst hundreds of contract awards. There may be widespread corruption involving lower-level Government employees, such as clerks delaying contractor checks for rewards.
The problem is that few people are prepared to come forward with evidence. Given these constraints, Government plans to strengthen the legal framework of the procurement process. But focus must also be given to the people who run the system. If they are not held to high standards, they could undo the legal advances. How to curb aberrant behaviour and criminal intent is a huge challenge.
Whatever the level of corruption it does sap the life blood of a nation as it diverts funds from critical national development projects into the pockets of corrupt officials. With a combination of race (buttressed with issues and policies) and corruption, the opposition believes that they have two powerful political weapons in their election arsenal to dislodge the PPP/C from state power at the 2025 elections. The PPP/C says that their record of accomplishments would propel them to victory at the 2025 polls.
Sincerely,
Dr Tara Singh
