I hate to have to remind you all, but you must never forget Guyana under the PNC from the Indo perspective. I don't want to play the race card as it's not beneficial for anyone. This was not a planned letter so please forgive and structural, grammatical or other imperfections.
Anyway, let me explain some thoughts and feelings from the heart. Understand, the average Indian over say 35 have a great fear of the PNC at the helm of power. You have to understand what occured pre-1992 and continued until 2006. The issue of PNC racist brutality against Indians (especially men) went from top, to the security forces, all the way to the man in the street. I cannot even begin to tell you the fear and hatred which was conjured up when we saw with our own eyes the brutality against our own and there was nothing we could do. Not only did we experience and witness street brutality, but we had even more fear when we turned to the security forces for help and representation.
Here are a few examples which close friends/relatives or myself were witness to. These are few examples, but it represents a microcosm of our experience under the PNC:
1. In Vreed-En-Hoop, 1979 an Indian guy punched an Afro who tried to grab his gold chain. About six of his Afro choke-and-rob brothers pounced on the Indo guy, beat him till he was down, the police came, the Afro guy told the police he was attacked, the police asked no questions but instead proceeded to beat the Indo guy on the ground with his baton, then proceeded to arrest him as a trouble maker.
2. On Sheriff Street, two Indian guys had an accident with an Afro-driven auto. A group of Hammie goons from Camp Town was hanging out and proceeded to beat the Indian guys, both of whom were injured from the accident. The police stood by.
3. An uncle of mine had a close call with his auto on Sheriff Street with an Afro-driven car, both vehicles came to a stop, no accident. The Afro guy jumped out and punched my uncle in the face breaking his glasses and just drove off as if it’s business as usual. And BTW the Afro guy was wrong as he tried to overtake even though my uncle had his turn signal on.
4. I also saw first-hand the abuses occurring at Timehri airport against Indians, especially male. I saw on old guy objected at the abuse and humiliation just to have several police officers pounced on him, beat him, dragged him into a separate building and continued to beat him. The son tried to intervene just to have several police officers rushed and beat him also. His wife and daughters were all left to cry outside.
Between 1992 and 2006 Afros continued with their acts of impunity. It is noteworthy that a guy called Waddel could openly call for violence against Indians, where the Buxton FFs could openly exhort their 2 for 1 policy, where Buxtonians were allowed to roam and Indians kill at will. A philosophy where the PNC leadership felt free to taunt their majority Afro supporters to embrace “slo-faya mo-faya. A mindset where, not so long ago, Fineman saw it fit to slaughter Indians with extreme prejudice over his missing girlfriend. These days cannot be allowed to return and, unfortunately, the average Indian see the PPP as their only safety net against such a recurrence.
My man, I don’t wish to bore you but this is what’s in the psyche of Indians and why they feel so strongly. 23 years may have passed since the PNC rule ended but much of these abuses are as fresh and raw as yesterday. So when you say Indians don’t give anyone else a chance like the Afros are willing to, well understand the thinking and risk many Indians see when they imagine a PNC power structure returning to power. We were not even allowed to eat properly without a PNC card to get “scarce” items from the KSI. Indians were abused in every facet of life all the way to the point of leaving Timehri airport. Our greatest relief was to know the plane we were on entered T&T airspace, only then were we free from a lifetime of abuse.
Between institutional racism, goons, police racism, street racism, plain bullies, life for the average Indian was unbearable, humiliating and fearful. We existed in an apartheid society which offered no apologies and knew little limits.
I would however, like to add that there were many decent Afros who did not subscribe to the doings of the core majority and the PNC. Many would prefer to see a different Guyana but fell victim to herd mentality and survival of the fittest as the pie got smaller and smaller or themselves became victims. Many of us can attest to afros who paid a price for standing up for justice.
On the other hand, I do not subscribe to the philosophy of retribution as two wrongs never make it right. Many of us hear the voice of Nigel Hughs and do feel the pain of feeling powerless and almost dispossessed. His voice and emotions brought back the emotions many of us Indians felt under the PNC. The big question, how do we make it right for all under one nation.
As you see, I have not even attempted to refer to the 60’s.
LONG LIVE THE PPP, LONG LIVE THE INDIAN, LONG LIVE FREEDOM FROM TYRANY. WE SHALL NEVER RETURN TO THE PAST.
