Guests decline invitation to AFC-PNC arranged ‘shaadi’ and ‘tilakh’
February 21, 2015 By GuyanaTimes
Dear Editor,
Supporters of the AFC are not pleased with the sudden announcement of the ‘tilakh’ (engagement) and proposed ‘shaadi’ (wedding) between the AFC and PNC to defeat the PPP/C.
Since it was born, the AFC has consistently stated it will remain single and not go in bed with the two other parties. Then AFC began to leave the door unlocked and allowed the ANC visits. Then it left the door ajar and undressed itself allowing the PNC into its bed. And now, the AFC announced a tilakh and printed invitations for a wedding catching its supporters unaware.
The supporters were shocked and said they are prepared to do what is necessary for disgracing them. Most of the invited guests for the tilakh and shaadi have declined their invitation; they vex and AFC will pay a heavy price. Supporters are prepared to take the party to the burial ground.
Many guests posed a question: If the AFC so badly want a man, why didn’t they approach PPP/C to see if they are willing to accept a bride instead of courting the PNC that has not shown to be a trusted and reliable partner and one who can be depended upon to provide support for its children and step children.
Former AFC supporters are convinced that proposed marriage won’t last and that the AFC will be dumped after a few nights of merry making like what the PNC did to the UF in 1967 after marrying the UF in 1964.
In Guyana, Indians are fearful of the return to power of the PNC, which has been reluctant to apologize for its past excesses to make Indians feel somewhat relaxed and willing to trust that party. They see the ghosts of Burnham everywhere even 30 years after his death.
And the PNC has not done anything to assuage the fears of Indians – announcing the launch of the campaign on Burnham’s birthday. AFC supporters asked: How could the AFC celebrate the birthday of a dictator who brutalized Indians and even his own people?
This is the major challenge facing the emerging alliance (engagement and proposed marriage) of the PNC (APNU) and AFC as revealed in a survey I have been conducting this week.
Indians supported the AFC in 2011 because they were angry with the PPP/C for treating them like step children. The PPP/C has since apologized and started to re-embrace their children, most of whom who left out of anger are returning home.
The AFC’s decision to marry the PNC will force the others to quickly re-enter their parents’ home for comfort and shelter because they still remember the abuses they suffered last time when the PNC married the UF.
Indians are not supporting this proposed secret arranged marriage between AFC and PNC. What is worse is they notice that the PNC has offered big dowries and finger rings to the ‘dulhin’ and her wedding entourage as well as to some match makers and nothing for the guests who have been invited to attend the wedding.
The Indians complain that were not even considered for their views if the engagement would receive their blessings. In fact, the Indian guests have been invited to a marriage ceremony and have been requested to come with presents (no box gifts, only cash gifts accepted).
The invited guests from the AFC family complain that the dulhin took no pandit, ‘mulvi’ (‘meiji&rsquo
or pastor to give blessings to the engagement. They did not ask the pandit to check the political ‘patra’ if it is a good match.
They just accepted the engagement ring and signed the document without consulting the greater family or the religious figures. Although caste and religion don’t play any significant role in shaping love marriages, in arranged marriages it matters – are the stars lined up?
All the pundits say no and are opposed to the marriage. Even the mulvis and pastors also are opposed. Some people frown upon inter-caste, inter-racial, and inter-religious marriages and some express disgust at such arrangement. We will soon now if this mixed marriage is made in heaven and will triumph or fall prey to convenience and political opportunism.
From all indications, Indians don’t like this arranged marriage. They prefer the AFC remain single for a while longer when a better groom may emerge. In the meanwhile, the AFC could become more mature, attract better suitors and making more gains at the expense of both older partners who are weakening and likely to be rejected by voters sooner rather than later.
Indians are fearful of what could happen after the marriage is consummated, making comments about what happened in 1967 between the arranged marriage of the PNC and UF that took place in 1964 when the US and Britain arranged the marriage to throw out the PPP.
And many Indians are declining attendance at the AFC-PNC wedding reception. They don’t feel comfortable going to that wedding. A follow up invitation from the PNC will end up in a dustbin because Indians remember well when they attended weddings during the 1970s and 1980s, there was no roti, channa, mohanbhog, sirni, alou, dhal, etc.
And they had to keep watch all night to protect themselves from kick down door bandits and food Police checking on what they ate. In fact, almost all of them say that might be the last wedding where there will be alou curry and roti.
In order to ease the concerns of Indians, the AFC has to come up with a strategy convincing Indians that their proposed wedding with the PNC will be blissful and there will not be any spousal or child abuse like what happened post 1964 after the arranged marriage by the match makers US and UK between the PNC and UF.
The spouse, children of the PNC and step children (from UF) and the outsiders (from PPP) suffered for 28 years until the American and British matchmakers said enough was enough and stepped in to save the country from the endless abuses of children and step-children.
The Indians reminded me of that marriage failure and period of extreme terror. The AFC has to assure the Indians that none of those abuses would recur. Printing invitations alone and sending them to guests won’t work.
The AFC bridal party (dulhin, her family and her cheerleaders) will have to go house to house with political ‘neotas’ and convince the guests they should not be fearful of a marriage of an old abusive partner and a young decent wife, who is fearful that she will grow too old and be rejected if she does not get a husband now.
But AFC is still young and time is on its side; moon has not passed her as yet and she is looking more beautiful by the day until she fell for this engagement and proposed marriage. She will get more beautiful and a handsome partner will come along and when family members ‘rub dye pon she, she gon look even more beautiful’.
So there is no need to hurry for a husband, and an abusive one at that. People say moon has passed the PNC and it desperately wants a partner. As people noted, the PNC took several concubines in 2011 and now it wants to marry the AFC like what happened in 1964 with the UF.
The AFC needs to rethink if going for marriage is appropriate now. Will it commit suicide if the marriage fails? It is not too late to return the rings and forget about the tilakh. So far, contrary to what the bride claims, the invited guests are very concerned and may chase the bride with ‘jharoo’ (broom) when they bring the neotas.
The dulhin will know how her guests feel when she visits them and tries to force a maticore on them. Based on the attendance, the dulhin will get a feel of the guests’ position on the arranged marriage.
Before the dulhin even gets to the maticore, it must perform some jhandis, koran shariefs, and Christian services – these will give the AFC some sense of where the supporters stand.
Vishnu Bisram
