Dear Editor,
Guyana has spawned a breed of political philosophers who sing praises to the tune of their political parties. We have moved from the Marxist-Leninists of recent past to the present day invocation of Heidegger (Randy Persaud), Hegel (Ravi Dev) and a critique of Karl Popper (Clement Rohee). The most important critique of Hegel’s “universal class” as representing all, was done by Karl Marx in his “Critique of Hegel’s ‘Philosophy of Right’”.
Marx accepted Hegel’s philosophical understanding of the state as representing the “universal class”. But that was the framework of abstract logic. When fleshed out in the real world, the universal state manifested itself as the government of the day. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry that occupied the actual offices of the government in its day to day operations was Hegel’s “universal class”. Every government speaks in the name of all, but distributes the spoils of the state to its supporters. This is what Marx called the class struggle.
Dev fully understands this. He uses it to justify the behaviour of the PPP government. At the same time he acknowledges that the government must represent the interests of all. In his demand for representation of a minority against the dominant group, he has made the case for the very “biological atavistic” group that he deems problematic for their behaviour. He masks his racial logic with “plural societies”.
Dev argues for electoral democracy to share the wealth of the nation. Ogunseye argues for economic democracy in the sharing of the wealth of the nation. This debate is taking place in a billion/trillion dollar oil bonanza. It is a blood and soil, blood and toil claim on the oil royalties. It is the military that will mediate in this struggle, as Ogunseye has pointed out, if the PPP hogs the wealth of the nation in the name of all but favours its support base (race) as a political favour.
We can examine the words of political philosopher Clement Rohee in this regard. “Further, Ogunseye must have heard about the PPP/C government’s concrete efforts to empower our African Guyanese brothers and sisters and their children by granting scholarships, small business grants, more lands and affordable housing and generous cash grants to members of the joint services”. (Clement Rohee – Ogunseye has failed to come to terms with the big picture – Stabroek News, August 22, 2022). “…generous cash grants to members of the armed services”.
The big picture, as Marx claimed, was the use of the resources of the state for the enrichment of the rulers at the expense of the masses. Gandhi did not treat Pakistan as an enemy. He accepted the emergence of Pakistan as a historical fact. Guyana does not have the option of dividing itself. It has to learn to live with itself as a commonwealth of different races finding a formula for mutual respect. We are a nation in the making. This is what the struggle is all about.
Sincerely,
Rohit Kanhai