Dear Editor,
The call for a change of leadership in the PNC only scratches the surface of what is a larger and inherent problem. The PNC has a greater need for overarching democratic reforms, than a change in leadership. The PNC is not an ordinary political party. That is, it has never won a general election on its own merits since its inception, despite being older than an independent Guyana.
Its business has characterized the very concept of ‘opposition’ politics in Guyana and, sadly, this PNC business has been as violent as it has been murky and disorganized. It has always alienated the largest voting bloc (East Indians) and yet complained that it has never triumphed in the politics of arithmetic. Instead of canvassing seriously for East Indian votes, it allowed its supporters to commit civil rights violations by attacking East Indian voters for exercising their right to vote.
No community can possibly prosper from this kind of political culture; yet, in Guyana, such political culture was celebrated. Mr Hoyte once said he negotiated with the PPP from a position of strength; strength that originated in those civil rights violations.
Additionally, the PNC ignored some basic laws in life: it expected good faith to emerge from street violence. When the law of life did not follow the PNC’s brand of politics, it was Mr Hoyte (not the PPP) who complained; he called for a pause to activities that resulted from PPP-PNC talks held because of “mo fyah” or confrontational politics.
Today, talk of Team Alexander is a sign that the PNC may very well return to the days of “mo fyah.” There has been no indication from which one may infer that Team Alexander is concerned with the systemic democratic reform of PNC culture. For starters, in contrast to Mr Corbin who reached out to East Indians during the crime blitz, Team Alexander is headed by a politician who said that street violence against PPP supporters, though unfortunate, is needed to have political progress. In the age of the iPhone and the Blackberry and the iPod, this kind of ideology belongs to a bygone era. It is a form of politics espoused by people who, disillusioned and impatient, fear systemic democratic reforms and instead cling to old, dead-end ideas.
Their uneasiness comes not only from a rightful contempt for the PPP’s outlandish sense of governance, but from their own inability to implement democratic principles as part of a plan to confront this abusive PPP. The notion of importing democratic attitudes and convictions into party affairs is a terrifying thing to the PNC (as well as the PPP).
Interestingly, some of the people who speak in favour of “mo fyah,” are the very folks who have complained that East Indians voted “race.” Others have no interest in democratic reforms because they are seen as impractical, if not laborious and time consuming; instead, they have a quick-fix in ‘power sharing.’ This quick-fix is meant to invalidate basic constitutional concepts such as general elections and voting. The need for power has overthrown any need for democracy.
However, before the parties can agree to any quick-fixes, one party has to stir up things enough to force the other party into a compromise. For the party that is willing to shut down Guyana, it is the only way to win in the politics of arithmetic.
And this is, arguably, a fundamental reason why Team Alexander and its supporters are asking Mr Corbin to resign.
Yours faithfully,
Rakesh Rampertab
