I grew up in a political family with different party affiliations. My father was a member of the PPP, and my brother a WPA activist. There were political arguments, of course, sometimes heated, but at the end of the day, democracy prevailed, at least under one roof.
I once joked that we shall drink from the Cup, whilst sitting under a Palm tree, ringing the Bell!
Differences aside, I think country, not self, was behind the struggle for free and fair elections.
On the stairs leading to the second floor hung a scroll with the words, “Walter Lives, this act in itself will not delay their day of judgment,” along with a picture of Walter Rodney, a man I was too young to remember.
Had I been old enough, I probably would have been influenced by his vision for a new Guyana.
At exactly 7.50 am every day, Dr Jagan’s car would pull up to our gate to take my father to work and myself to school. I remember Dr Jagan asking me about my homework almost every day. I had a tremendous amount of respect for that man; his simplicity, humility and pleasant personality.
I voted PPP in ’92 to help bring an end to PNC rule, largely because of my father’s dedication to his country, and again in ’97, this time to extend their time in office.
At a young age, I walked the halls of Freedom House not quite understanding politics or its implications on my life.
Under PNC rule, I also remember the police showing up in the middle of the night to search for “anti-government material,” in this instance WPA material. We all sat there, bleary eyed, while they literally ransacked the house.
My father followed their every step, never letting them out of his sight, and when they were finished, they would say, “Thank you Mr Westmaas, we haven’t found anything,” and my father’s terse reply would be: “And I hope you haven’t left anything either!”
The point of this letter is to ask a few questions:
Are we witnessing history repeating itself?
Where is the “Dawn of a new era” that I voted for in ’92 and ’97?
The word ‘people’ is used in almost all the party slogans, yet the people hardly have a voice.
Will I live to see a new Guyana, with leaders who have a vision for all Guyanese?
How about electing (not selecting) a female candidate?
Can we reduce the term limit for the president to four years?
Yours faithfully,
Yuri Westmaas
