Dear Editor,
The PNC has lost four elections since 1992 and is currently not considered a viable party to win in 2011. (I recently returned to NY after a 3-week visit to the motherland). The PNC may never have intended to be an Afro-ethnic party, but just evolved that way mainly because its founder-leader was African and in third world countries founder-leaders are for life. After 55 years the PNC has become as thoroughly Afro-ethnic, and, this has happened in a country that is largely bi-racial with the Indian group being the larger of the two. The ethnic arithmetic is what it is and therefore continuing to present the PNC as an Afro-ethnic party without a pro-Indian platform in a country where so many vote race, means that it is simply not viable. The following is advised:
(1) Elect a leader from the Indian racial group, construct a platform that caters to Indian issues (lack of ethnic security, pro-agriculture, fair hiring practices/anti-racial discrimination, etc). In this way it would be possible to work to change the image of the party, reposition it to appeal to the Indian majority and make it genuinely multiracial.
(2) If Guyana is serious about laying the foundations for a genuine multiracial democracy, both ethnic parties – PPP and PNC – must set a goal of winning at least 20% cross-racial support. A failure to do this means Guyana for the foreseeable future will be governed by the Indian majority group not just because of the racial arithmetic, but also because the Indians cannot easily forget the 28 years of PNC rule.
(3) Winston Murray is of Indian or mixed race descent – very loyal, served the PNC for many years, held ministerial portfolios, impeccable character, incorruptible. With his election the PNC would create a new racial image for the party.
(4) Regarding the PPP, it is better if they too elect an African from among their ranks to enter the 2011 contest. It is better for the PPP to lose some of the Indian vote and replace it by winning 20% of the African vote. Broad-based multiracial support means a broad-based governing mandate for the PPP. A mandate based primarily on Indian support makes Guyana a very flawed democracy where ethnic tensions will continue to plague its politics.
Let us all join and commit ourselves to build genuine democracy – a multiracial democracy that will lead to a stable and prosperous Guyana.
Barack Obama said this about political movements: They do things the same old way year after year, and somehow expect different results. The PNC should take heed and make some changes.
One of the tests for a functioning democracy is that the pendulum of power must pass from one party to another every few election cycles. No party can govern forever and keep the majority of the people happy all the time. Things will happen beyond their control – corruption, a faltering economy, mismanagement, turning a blind eye while drug lords take over the country, etc. Yet the PPP will win and govern forever not just because both the PPP and PNC practise ethnic politics, but because the PNC shows no understanding of how politics is done in a democratic environment. Since 1992 it has exacerbated the fears of Indians; for instance, a well-armed insurgent group of criminals were given sanctuary and operated almost with impunity in Buxton and the PNC did not cooperate with the central government to eliminate these criminals.
So many Indians are disenchanted and disgusted with the corrupt PPP government, yet they cannot bring themselves to vote for another party. They will not split their vote because that makes it easier for the Afro-ethnic party to get back in power. If the PNC really understands this dynamic, they would reinvent their party.
A blogger using the name ‘Mr West Bank’ asked me if I would vote for the PNC if it elected an Indian presidential candidate.
I am detached from party politics in Guyana. The cause I seek to advance is to see Guyana evolve into a genuine multiracial democracy – a state where power changes from one party to another every few election cycles; where at least 20-30 per cent of Indians and 20-30 per cent of Africans would vote on issues; a state where ethnic parties do not exist; a state where people do not have to vote because of some age-old fear of another ethnic party coming to power.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
