Dear Editor,
I refer to the SN letter from Rickford Burke dated July 27, 2010 captioned `AFC’s preemptive preclusion of alliance with either of the two main parties undermines its doctrine of coalition building’. Burke has failed to honestly flesh out why the Guyanese state is where it is today. He opted instead to unfairly burden the AFC with responsibilities that really belong to the PNC and the PPP. Why was the AFC created in the first place? Certainly not to become a satellite of the PNC and the PPP but to chart a new political course for Guyana!
If one is to read Burke seriously, they will recognize he took little cognizance of our history especially the 1964 UF/PNC coalition. This experience will tell you that a coalition with the PNC has nothing to offer to the AFC. Burke should have known that the UF was diametrically distinct from the PNC and that the 1964 coalition was political opportunism in its most raw form. The rest is history but the end result is a UF which is just a mere skeleton of its former self. So why is Burke so disappointed that the AFC is unwilling to engage in political opportunism?
This struggle is not about patching together a coalition of the willing just for the sake of gaining power. This struggle is about permanently changing the way we practice politics in Guyana with iron-clad constitutional reforms that guarantee all Guyanese a more fair deal.
So this decision by the AFC to form a so-called People’s Partnership without the PNC and the PPP but including individuals from the PNC and PPP is a novel idea that is worthy of further exploration, not condemnation.
One can gather from Burke’s writing that he is more motivated to get rid of the PPP than to strengthen Guyana politically for the future and this is really concerning since the mantra should be “putting Guyana first”, not power at all cost. Any party or politician who is willing to throw away their core values exclusively to gain power is guilty of political opportunism. Burnham was and Jagdeo is but I am certain the AFC is not and that is why their principled stance on no coalition with the PNC and PPP at this time is commendable. The PNC and the PPP have nothing to offer the AFC at this point in time.
The AFC believes in truly empowering the people with a system of Government that distributes the power to the people.
The Jagdeo regime has moved the PPP to an extremely centralized form of Government that is so bad that when he is on his travels, the Government of Guyana goes into pause. The same was practised by the PNC.
The AFC has a legacy to build and it would not want to be in the genie bottle that the PNC and the Jagdeo regime currently find themselves. The mere act of rotating their Presidential Candidate speaks volumes of the mental maturity of that party. Is this possible in the traditional parties?
It is most regrettable that Burke re-entered the political dialogue with an inconsistent message that is actually dangerous for the AFC’s well-being and mission. But who knows, Burke may get what he wants, access to political power once again by way of high stakes political opportunism.
There is a very high possibility of a PPP/PNC coalition after 2011 and by way of his PNC connection he is back in the game.
There is hope for Guyana as more of our people focus on manifestos, core values, and leaders regardless of race, class, religion or colour. There is hope for Guyana as more of our people bury the parties and leaders forever that practice covert racism and economic apartheid against the working class. Once there is hope, there is a way. Patience Burke, patience!
Yours faithfully,
Sasenarine Singh