By Dr Narayan Persaud Stabroek News
Dear Editor,
Today I read a letter in the SN written by Dr Narayan Persaud. He makes the bold claim 鈥 albeit false 鈥 that the current ruling PPP party is running a National Front Government. An idea or a dream of its founder-leader Cheddi Jagan now fulfilled. To back up his claim, he cited President Ali and VP Jagdeo, two Indian-Guyanese and the African Prime Minister Phillips 鈥 and that, he argues, makes it a NFG, to say nothing about whether the PPP itself has valid bona fides to claim it is a genuine multi-racial party in the first place.
Over the last 30-years, I have published letters in SN and KN calling on both PPP and PNC (they are both perceived ethnic parties, never mind the naked 鈥渨indow-dressing鈥) to begin the process of transforming themselves into genuine multi-racial parties. And, the first step of that process is the act of selecting a leader (presidential candidate) from the Alt race group to head their parties. This single act is not puppetry, but a catalyst to help break down the hardened perceptions developed over 75-years that both parties are nothing but ethnic parties.
The excessively high rates of racial-loyalty voting make Guyana a very flawed democracy. This condition is the main reason for such high levels of racial tensions 鈥 racial distrust 鈥 in the society. Had this level of racial tensions and distrust not existed, WCB (killing of Henry brothers and racial disturbances that followed); Mon Repos (Indian vendors running for their lives when attacked by African thugs under the guise of being protestors); DD Hotel drowning of Adriana Younge (and the disturbances that followed) 鈥 none of these events would have taken place.
Dr Narayan should recognize the reality: Guyana is a racially-divided society; and to do a PR-letter with such false claims, of Guyana being run by NFG does not help the society to evolve to a better place. There is a lot of work to be done to make Guyana a genuine multiracial democracy. And, the burden and responsibility for making this happen lies with both PPP (Indian party) and PNC (African party). Both are hardened ethnic outfits; neither is better than the other.
This racial-political problem is an existential problem; it has been like this for the last 75-years, and it is not abating. PPP selecting an Indian to be president, an African to be Prime Minister 鈥 does not change the perception of PPP being an Indian party. This 鈥渨indow-dressing鈥 fix does not work. Facts are facts. Perceptions in politics are reality. And Dr. Narayan鈥檚 letter is a naked PR-letter with no sound arguments. We do not have a National Front Govt in Guyana, and PPP is still being perceived as an Indian-ethnic party.
Mike Persaud