Dear Editor,
As Guyanese we should be very concerned about our political future. I am concerned about the fiery open rhetoric that I read in the mainstream as well as social media which is not becoming of a country on the rise in the region and the world. In some respects, the kind of political bashing is similar to what pertains in the USA among Republicans and Democrats. Since our last elections which was drawn out for five months because one party’s attempted to deny the other victory, politicians on the losing side continue to claim that the elections were fraudulent despite what the count and recounts confirmed as well as that of the international community and Appeals Court. This kind of politics only serve to weaken our still fragile democracy and it is time that it stops. The battle was lost and it is now incumbent on the Opposition to carry out a postmortem on the causes and circumstances which led to its defeat. No respectable political party and for certain not the PNC, a significant player in Guyanese politics ought to be wasting its time by perpetuating the deception that it was fraudulently defeated or for that matter any other victim story. There is no evidence to support their case so one has to conclude that the rhetoric is being played out to appeal to its large support base.
A continuous attack on the present administration is not the kind of strategy that will appeal to the PPP/C support base where the PNC coalition must look for support if it hopes to win an election. The PPP/C has a slight edge and has used it to stay ahead. The PNC coalition has to work a bit harder and will not achieve any advantage by constantly slurring and attacking the PPP/C. What I am saying may be twisted and bent in many shapes and forms by critics but the facts are plain and simple, if you attack my party without good reason then why should I consider you an alternative. Say what you may but unless the PPP/C really messes-up and in a very big way at that, it is ahead of the game. Their strategy to date is meeting with the approval of many Guyanese. By constantly attacking non-issues the PNC coalition is shooting itself in its foot. Leadership is not measured by who can shout the loudest but by who gets the job done. The people are not concerned with personal issues but by who is doing a better job to make their lives a bit more bearable. The PPP/C is not without fault and those faults must be brought to daylight and supported by facts not fiction. As a CARICOM member our future planning strategy must include and support the development and welfare plans of the entire region and this calls for visionary leadership which we can all be proud of at home and abroad.
Sincerely,
Bernard Ramsay
