Dear Editor,
I am extremely surprised by all the brouhaha over the call for the PNC to state whether certain policies of its dictatorial rule were ill conceived.
I decline the temptation to answer each hysterical criticism levelled against me because I know that it will be counterproductive and won’t advance our common goal for a better Guyana.
No one is asking for a pound of flesh here. The question on many minds is simply this: will the PNCR be taking Guyana back to those rough times when terror and fear enveloped the nation? Is it not a natural concern of the average voter? This is not about ‘Remembrance of Things Past’; this is the future
Certain writers reason thus: Dr Hassan asked the PNCR to admit the party made some mistakes; therefore, she must be a supporter of the PPP. Nowhere—I mean nowhere—in any of my writings can you find anything in which I say I support or oppose the PPP. That is irrelevant. We are not talking about the PPP here. That is totally a separate issue.
Those who know my history know that I have always aligned myself with fair and free elections in Guyana—not with any one particular party. (And I may very well criticize something that a party does and yet, considering the totality of circumstances, vote for it.) But whenever there is disagreement people always oversimplify and hastily generalize. What I would really like to see is an election whereby Guyanese go to the polls and vote on issues. That is why it is important to know where the PNC stands on the issues.
But such is the level of the debate. And why is it that when a call is made to admit a mistake, it must be conditioned on someone else’s admission of some other unrelated mistake? What does A have to do with B? Are we still in Second Grade? Johnny will only apologize if Timmy apologizes? Why is it the PNCR has a difficult time understanding that a sizeable number of Guyanese—Indians, Africans, and others—want an articulation on its stand on certain issues?
It is unfortunate that Mr Granger is calling for “evidence” of the wrongs committed against the Guyanese people. No, don’t let’s go there—but let’s close the wounds. To break the barriers (we know what they are) the party has to do what it is loathe to do. The longer it waits, the harder it gets.
We all have to stop this caterwauling and work together for a strong democracy—together.
Yours faithfully,
Dolly Z Hassan
