Dear Editor,
There is no African-Guyanese marginalization. Africans dominate Army, Police, Civil and Public Services, Teaching Service by significant to huge margins. Police and Army by 90%. (Even in Teachers’ College and University of Guyana African-Guyanese pre-dominate by significant percentages).
These are all good jobs that have government pension and State NIS pension benefits. Government Employees also benefit from advanced skills training which make them qualify for better opportunities.
Indians pre-dominate in peasant rice and cane farming, catching fish at sea, crabs and fish in trenches. They drive taxis and minibuses, sell fruit and vegetable produce in the markets. These are all low-paying jobs that have no pension benefits or opportunities to move up the ladder of a middle class life.
So, what is really driving all this talk of African marginalization? With the PPP in power, African-Guyanese feel excluded from Executive Branch power. Normally no party that loses power in an election should feel that way, except for the fact that Guyana is unique in this respect.
Parties are perceived ethnic in Guyana – PNC African, PPP Indian. So, one ethnic group in power, the other ethnic group feels excluded. This, in my opinion, is the real reason that drives all the agitation behind the African marginalization argument.
Change the race politics, change the perceptions of who is in power – and that’s 50% of the solution of the political/racial problem in Guyana. The other 50% is the Rule of Law. Better Laws; stricter enforcement. You break the law; you do the time.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
