GUYANA’S political history, particularly its painful  post-independence period

is  well known and recorded. Its  dark   details ought not to be rehashed, if only because it is in the past, and ought to be buried. But, because  there are those who are on a daily mission of promoting  a campaign of half truths and lies, it becomes necessary to remind the nation as to those horrible days, and the great  struggle for the return of democracy; and the subsequent herculean efforts at national reconstruction. In outlining this position, there are those who have peddled the lie, of the PPP/C government, always seeking to play the fear factor. That is far from the truth. For it is every administration’s right to defend their hard won gains, particularly in the peculiar  case of Guyana. Those of a mature age, should recall the  great expectations that greeted  Guyana’s  attainment of independence, in 1966. Amidst much pomp and celebration, Guyanese  felt a  great surge of pride and patriotism as their country took its coveted place among  that category of nations that had just begun to emerge from the long shadows of colonialism. One may recall that picture of Ambassador Sir John Carter, along with  then United Nations Secretary General U Thant, at the ceremony of the Golden Arrowhead  being proudly  raised at UN headquarters. It must be recalled, that the government of the day, was a coalition arrangement between the People’s National Congress and the United Force. However, very soon the sinister motives of the larger partner, the PNC, became quite obvious, when it began sidelining  its junior coalition  partner, resulting in the eventual resignation of its leader, Finance Minister Mr. Peter D’Aguiar from the Burnham-led  government. This set the stage for the greatest tragedy in this nation’s history  to unfold. A nation was about to be betrayed, as the ideals which the nation were led to believe would have been upheld, respected and protected were about to be trampled. A dark night was about to descend upon Guyanese and their beloved land. Beginning from the late 1960s, the stage was set  for  anti-democratic practices and crimes against the people of this nation, hence Guyana became known as a country of rigged elections, thereby depriving  citizens of their right to have the government of their choice; of corruption, that caused the parting of the ways between Eusi Kwayana and his African organisation, the African Society For Cultural Relations with Independent  Africa (ASCRIA) with the PNC; of political assassinations, and questionable deaths, that targeted those brave Guyanese who dared to challenge the PNC dictatorial regime and its jack- booted  policies against the State and citizens; of suppression of free speech, as the free voice of the media became muzzled, newsprint withheld from the Catholic Standard and the then Opposition PPP Mirror newspaper; of the right to dissent being brutally suppressed as public meetings of progressive groups were broken up by State agents  and PNC regime-sponsored thugs; of severe  shortages of essential food items that gave rise to a flourishing black market and underground economy, unending queues of especially housewives who frantically sought scarce commodities for their families; of forced participation  in State rallies, and other indignities that reduced Guyana to pariah status and Guyanese being disrespected  among their fellow CARICOM  citizens; and of the Jonestown mass suicide, for which a proper, credible explanation as to  the workings of the Jim Jones-led  People’s Commune at Port Kaituma, was never given by the then government. One should add to this list an eventually  bankrupted economy, with  Guyana being unable to access loans. Guyana has since  been removed from the shadows of that dark night just briefly outlined. Many were the challenges that faced the new PPP/C Government as it worked assiduously to restore national pride and dignity to all Guyanese, thereby restoring Guyana to its rightful place among the Hall of nations. Guyana is now on its way to becoming a modern State, because of  government  policies  designed for the welfare of the Guyanese people. Above all there is FREEDOM. How can those, many of whom  would have fought against the tyranny of those painful years now seek to distort  the truth? Where is their sense of dignity, justice, and national pride?