Moses Nagamootoo and Nigel Hughes are the right choice for Guyana

Dear Editor,

In Guyana, racial voting cannot be assessed in a vacuum or cannot be declared to be good for the country. In this context, racial voting is the worst thing for our society.  Given the country’s political history, racial voting is certainly intended to be a dagger in the heart of any hope of a better political future for Guyana. Guyanese must understand clearly what their political culture is and be very candid about it. Almost from the very beginning of the country’s history as an independent nation, politics took an exceedingly unfortunate turn for the worst and both the PPP and the PNC are responsible for the divisive APAN JHAAT politics being practiced in Guyana today. Political and electoral contestation came to rest on a foundation of ethnic polarization and racial division. From this fact emerged an entrenched “two-party” system in which both parties mobilized their support on the basis of ethnic and racial affiliation. We could explore what factors and circumstances gave rise to such a development, but for present purposes it is not necessary. What is very important to note is that as a result of such racial polarization in Guyana’s politics, it has been exceedingly difficult and may be in fact impossible for the country to build structures of good governance, be accountable and transparent or to achieve good government. The reasons for this are not difficult to determine. In the first place since the PPP and the PNC solicit their political support on the basis of ethnic or racial solidarity, and the fact that they are successful, they have little incentive to be accountable to the people or to deliver good performance when they are in power. For the past 22 years, the PPP has won elections based mainly upon the support of one race or one ethnic group, as opposed to the other race or ethnic group, therefore the PPP has no incentive or interest in making government policies which would assist the other race or group. Further, they have torn down or abandoned structures built by the PNC and have discarded some good policies adopted by the Burnham/Hoyte government. For example, the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal have refused to finance or maintain the President’s College and Critchlow Labor College, to name a few. In any case, the PPP regime cannot be effective if it is mistrusted by almost half of the population that it has marginalized. It is this type of racial politics and mistrust that have kept Guyana from developing and have led to rampant corruption, raping of the treasury and utter impotence on the part of the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal. Guyana has a DO-NOTHING President and a Minister of Home Affairs who is  highly incompetent and totally ineffective to end crime, corruption and improve the lives of the poor and the working class. It is beyond the PPP regime to rise above the vulgarity of racial, spiteful and petty politics. They do not seem to understand that Guyana cannot move forward as long as they continue to practice race-bait politics at their bottom house meetings in the East Indian villages. The politics of racial polarization practiced by the PPP has dominated Guyana’s political system for the past 22 years and has resulted in a determined effort of the marginalized ethnic group either by hook or by crook to find or to craft a way out to survive, hence the rise in crime and gang warfare. The birth of the AFC more than eight years ago and the recent announcement by Khemraj Ramjattan that Moses Nagamootoo and Nigel Hughes will carry the torch for the AFC in the next election is to find a new way forward to transcend the racial divide. They are the right torch for Guyana. And with each attempt they seek to do so, the AFC popularity grew. But while the leaders of the AFC were making these attempts to forge a new and better way for the people, they understood clearly that they had to live with the two old race-based parties which did not allow them a free rein. But this changed in 2011 when the AFC led by Khemraj Ramjattan, Raphael Trotman and Moses Nagamootoo gained seven parliamentary seats and thus reduced the PPP to minority status. So, ever since 2011, without legislation or constitutional amendment, the AFC has imposed its own terms on the PPP government. And all the while, they have striven mightily and relentlessly to build a new brand of inclusive politics that is so badly needed in Guyana. As a multi-racial party, their efforts to end racial voting in Guyana is slowing but surely becoming a success. AS the AFC grew in popularity it has become very clear that neither of the two old race-based parties could ever win a majority again in Guyana’s electoral politics. The PNC has never done it fairly and the PPP will not do it again. As the main opposition party, APNU has and continues to benefit from the support of the AFC and vice versa. The AFC’s proposed no confidence motion has not only silenced and the confused the Freedom House gang but it has led to a series of silly statements by Mr. Rohee, the General Secretary of the PPP. The AFC no confidence motion has stunned the PPP and has put them on notice that their days in office are numbered. With support from APNU, the writing is on the wall for the DO-NOTHING Ramotar government.  They are very worried because it is very clear that they no longer have the support of the masses. They are doing everything to maintain their hold on power by attempting to kill off the growing power of the AFC before it becomes too dominant; but they will not succeed because the people no longer believe in their propaganda, distortions and untruths. The people want change and the no confidence motion will bring about that change. Kudos to the AFC for making the right turn. Moses Nagamootoo and Nigel Hughes will bring new hopes for the people. Asquith Rose and Harish Singh.