Home Letters Would social and economic issues derail race as main factor in voting...
Dear Editor,
When Aubrey Norton won the leadership of the PNCR, I stated that he could re-brand and re-invigorate the PNCR party and make it very competitive if he were prepared to (I) apologize to the nation for his party’s attempt to steal the 2020 elections; (ii) reject racism as a political tool; and (iii) avoid incendiary rhetoric and veiled threats of violence in that party’s political campaign.
Whatever tactics they are utilising to repair their image and credibility would not work, unless they address these issues at the earliest opportunity.
Appealing to ethnic sentiments and trying to foment ethnic strife would fail, not only to win the trust of the Guyanese people, but also the trust of the international community.
The AFC have recently raised concerns that tend to evoke situations of racism. They are, for example, calling for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the “disappearance”, about two decades ago, of hundreds of young Black men, and have linked this to state violence. They failed to conduct a COI into the “disappearance” during their term in office (2015-2020).
Additionally, the AFC and the PNCR claim that the PPPC government has been awarding contracts to cronies, friends and families; doesn’t this suggest a stirring up of ethnic tension, when there is no evidence to support their allegations?
The AFC leader even claimed he received a messianic call to return to active politics, which he quit in 2016. In a speech at Linden, Nigel Hughes proclaimed: “My ancestors called me back here in 2024…and said, ‘My son, go and represent my people, and take them out of the land of darkness’.” This higher call to service is analogous to that of the Biblical Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt from slavery and bondage. Hughes hopes this revelation and his other political positions would work to his advantage and lead to an expansion of his support base!
The PNCR, AFC, PPPC, and other political parties must know that the trend at the 2011 and 2015 polls has shown that social and economic issues are becoming potent forces in the political process, and that the pull of racial sentiments has begun to subside and would be knocked down from its pinnacle. This trend is reinforced with the results of LGE (Local Govt Election) 2023. Trying to halt this momentum would not be to the advantage of any political party.
The significance of the “issue” factor is reflected in particular at the 2015 polls, when the APNU+AFC coalition won the election partly on a promise that they would increase sugar workers’ wages by 20% and secure $9,000 a bag for paddy. A segment (amounting to 10%) of the traditional PPPC support base in Regions 2, 5, and 6 voted for the coalition. That shift rattled the PPPC.
One would have thought, however, that the PNCR and AFC would have capitalised on this shift and try to retain, and even build upon, those 10% PPPC voters. Instead, they thought it prudent to engage in vendetta politics.
Ignoring the impact of the 10% PPPC voters on their favourable election outcome, the PNCR-led coalition closed four sugar estates and threw 7,000 workers (with a combined family membership of 35,000) on the breadline, despite their own COI recommending a 3-year turn-around time before closure.
They even accused sugar workers of raiding the public treasury.
Apart from exacting political revenge, they felt they had a great opportunity to break the backbone of the PPPC support base (sugar industry). Their calculation was misdirected. The opposite happened; their harsh action led to the strengthening of the PPPC base, not only in the sugar and rice belts, but also in other areas. And the coalition paid a heavy price at the 2020 elections for their poor political judgement.
Apart from addressing the issues raised at the beginning of this letter, the Opposition forces must also redirect their focus on social and economic issues, propose alternative approaches to development that would improve the lives and livelihoods of all the Guyanese people, and create a unified country.
Sincerely,
Dr Tara Singh
