Dear Editor,
Let me say from the beginning that I do not live in Guyana and, therefore, whichever party coasts to victory in the upcoming national elections would have minimal effect on my life. However, a Guyanese by birth, I cannot say that I am totally uninterested.
When I immigrated to the U. S. in the 1960’s, I was told by fellow students that “anyone above 30 years old is an enemy of the State.” Recently in Guyanese voice and print media, I have noticed a similar trend, a disturbing emphasis on the “young” as if to say that the old have morphed into disgusting gadflies.
As I recall, Guyanese are taught to revere our elderly. We do not subscribe to senilicide and do not belong to the mythical Eskimo culture that dumps the elderly onto the devouring waves of Neptune.
The way the debate now goes is this: the election is about the future of the country and therefore it is only the dinosaurian relics in our society that dredge up the brutal history of the dictatorial People’s National Congress (PNC). Thus, it is argued, we should forget the past—not mention how the PNC behaved when in office— and let the young people vote in ignorance. Some politicians, with glee, often boast that the young do not even remember Walter Rodney or Forbes Burnham. That to me is a shameful loss. Youths ought to learn, not block their history.
I would argue instead the best voter is an informed voter. He or she should go to the polls informed about past, informed about the policies and practices of all parties in and out of power, and then cast the ballot, one not based on race but on reason. It may well be that the young are more inclined to give the PNC a pass on its history of excesses. So be it then.
I do recall that when I was a little girl in Guyana I watched my parents, shopkeepers, live a life of incremental misery, wondering what was next in the business chamber of horrors, as the heavy-fisted hand of the Burnham-led PNC regime squeezed them out of business. I do not now hold that against the current PNC. I think that it has learned and I feel that Mr. Granger, mellowed, would not take us back to the nightmarish days of the old PNC. I respect him as I do Mr. Ramotar and the others who are brave enough to fight for Guyana. It is a tough field.
At the same time, though, don’t some of us with that memory wish that the PNC would articulate at least a promise not to repeat the mistakes of the past? No, this is not a call for apology. It is just a wish for a statement that expresses an understanding of the legitimate concerns of certain groups and a reassurance that they have nothing to fear as the PNC would not retrace its steps. Think of what a difference it would make!
I am amazed that some individuals would like to cultivate a mass of uneducated voters. Are we now wedded to the notion that an ignorant voter is the best voter? No, get the young educated and trust them to make informed decisions. Where is our confidence in the young?
Additionally, the elderly in Guyana still have memories, and these voters are indeed relevant. They too are going to the polls. Talk to them with reverence and respect. Let us not practice senilicide. Were we to discard the elderly, then Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramotar may as well take to their rocking chairs. Remember the response when Baby Alligator asked Mama Alligator, “Ma, how come your mouth’s is so long?”
The last time I made a call for the PNC to acknowledge its mistakes, many people, including pseudo-journalists, were hysterical, incapable of any intellectual debate. They argued mainly by argumentum ad hominem, saying, for example, that I live the Berbice area in Richmond Hill, NY and that I am Berbician—as if that alone relegates me into a pit of ignorance and irrelevance.
May I preempt these individuals by letting them know that even though I am not from Berbice and even though I do not live in Richmond Hill, I would consider myself privileged to belong to those communities. I love all of Guyana and all its communities. In my job as immigration attorney, I proudly represent Guyanese of all races. Those who would now be quick to castigate me should know that they are further alienating older voters, the opposite of what Mr. Granger and the Coalition need at this very moment.
Finally, I also would like to wish all the parties the very best in the tough days ahead. I know that the people of Guyana—of all ages—would vote for what they believe is right for them.
Yours faithfully,
Dolly Z. Hassan, Ph.D.
