Dear Editor,
Indians refuse to be brow-beaten into accepting a repeat of the past and until this is clearly recognized the first step in changing ethnic electoral support cannot be taken. For contrary to what one letter writer pointed out some while ago, it is not irrational that a group’s collective memory determines how loyalty is aligned. Rather, it is only when that collective experience is acknowledged and concrete steps implemented to ensure that the negatives of that experience never recur that that group of people can then be persuaded to revisit political loyalty.
The reality is that Africans have taken ownership, and rightly so, of their narratives, but somehow Indians’ right to their narratives is not one that Africans want to concede. Instead they want that narrative to be constructed by a handful who tell the narratives Africans want to hear.
Meanwhile, while Africans may see the PNC as the force that has the answers, for Indians the PNC is a case of having ‘been there, done that’ and not wanting to doom themselves to similarly suffer all over again. And since a political force to envelop both groups and take them past ethnic politics fails to appear on the horizon, perhaps the short-term alternative is indeed encapsulated in the call of David Hinds (SN, March 18) “We are urging our people to use what they have as individuals and communities to provide for themselves and in the process open doors to more opportunities for their children.”
For like the other groups, Indians too suffer from economic issues like poverty and social issues like alcoholism, violence, especially domestic violence, and suicide. So while the national conference on suicide is a much-needed first step, organizations like the IAC must begin to mobilize Indians towards self-activity so they do not become devoured by economic want and social pathologies and so that they do not continue to remain at the mercy of those who man the levers of the political and economic superstructure. Most importantly all groups need to do this not only for themselves but to also foster these processes for each other so that together, they can put themselves in a position to move past ethnic politics and steer Guyana towards the longed for paradise for which everyone cries out.
However, for this fostering to take place the same standards must be applied to all. Thus calls for a minister of government to be taken to task for not been held legally accountable for an illegal action are indeed justified since no one should be above the law. However, when a PNC parliament and youth leader is held accountable for breaking the law condemnation of the police action smacks of hypocrisy and doublespeak.
As Abu Bakr implied in a letter (SN, March ) all narratives must be honest and accurate so that the right lessons are learnt and the right actions follow out of those narratives. For, at the end of the day, any changing political landscape in Guyana is squarely dependent not only on each group being allowed scope and space for self-expression without being labelled but also for each group’s acceptance of historical reality as a prerequisite for a catharsis that is absolutely necessary for ethnicity to be trumped by issues in the political conversations.
Yours faithfully,
Annan Boodram
