A few days ago, I saw a video of a woman who supports one political party slapping a man who supports another political party. He retaliated immediately. There were reports that the police arrested the man because the aggressor claimed that he had assaulted her. However, when video footage surfaced that he was not the aggressor, he was released. We must be grateful that we live in a time where false accounts will not always lead to wrongful prosecution. Modern technology which includes social media has opened our eyes to situations where in the past we would have been ill-informed. Nevertheless, this situation still reveals how dangerous and dishonest some of the people who blindly support political parties are – that they would lie and play victim even when they are the aggressor. They would willingly participate in the destruction of others and this country once it serves their political party.
With this incident caught on camera, we are reminded of the rusty chains that stain the hands and feet of our people. It continues – the perpetuation of violence for the keepers of the keys to prisons the people dwell in; whether it is a woman slapping a man, cutlass-wielding or gun- toting, school children stoned, or people beaten or broken bones, blood has been spilled in the name of blind party loyalty.
It is a sad reminder that identity politics is a core part of many Guyanese personalities, and the reality is that this may not change anytime soon. When the people are willing to assault each other for the love of political parties or politicians that have stood as the giants that have fueled the suffering and stagnation of Guyanese for decades, we are in trouble. What does it say about us when there are those who would rather assault each other than hold their leaders accountable in a season when there have been widespread allegations about corruption? What does it say about us when there are those among us who are willing to lay their lives on the line for people who do not know the price of bread or meat but indulge lavishly while many of Guyana’s children are nutrient deficient because their families do not have enough financial resources to meet their basic needs? What does it say about us when the strategies to divide and conquer work brilliantly every time and the further we stray from freedom the more comfortable we are in our bondage?
In this silly season we the people are grappling with several threats to our comfort, liberty, security and future. The biggest threat however is perhaps that we do not love and respect each other enough to truly stand as one. The ethnic divide still exists and feeds the political divide which continues to cripple us. Venezuela threatens to take Essequibo – they traverse our waters, people from across the river injure our soldiers, while we shout, “Essequibo is we own!” giving the illusion that we are a people independent, free and united. However, the internal threats against our interests and peace we do not address as people independent, free and united. Instead, there are those among us who would rather assault each other because of blind party loyalty or opposing viewpoints. Even with all the ‘One Guyana’ propaganda and the willingness of some to acquiesce to the idea of replacing our motto with an ideology that only serves a few, divided we stand ready to fall and give up whatever power we have left.
In this silly season we see the prospect of new political movements being challenged with protests. We have seen the verbal abuses, threats of violence and threats to marginalize the people who wish to support new movements. There are those who seem to believe that only the political party they support has the right to campaign and govern the people. It does not matter whether these political parties have twenty-five years plus of failing the people or a combination of sixty plus years of turmoil, there is an unwillingness by party loyalists to engage with those with opposing perspectives and to reject new information. The echo chamber is obvious – fueled by social media and even media houses that align with political parties. It is easy to restrict independent thought. Some may blindly support political parties because they fear persecution while some do it for their self-interests.
In this silly season while the people squabble and assault each other, blinded by their loyalty, some of our greatest threats play chess as they strategize how to exploit our resources, enrich themselves and for our continued oppression, while our leaders play checkers. The bridges and roads that should lead to progress lead us nowhere because too many are under the Orwellian trance. The bright future some may dream of is already overshadowed by clouds set in advance by the exploitative hands.
Life becomes harder for the ordinary man. Though hundred-thousand-dollar cash grants might bring temporary relief to some, the pressures and difficulties continue for the ordinary man. Those who sit and boast of their great governance promise the people more cash grants once they win the next elections. The conditional promises and vote buying tactics will not ensnare all the people, but the desperation of others will have them clinging to a dream of tasting a piece of the pie satisfying enough to last a lifetime.
The prospect of a new political movement seems to be more of a threat to those governing than the opposition whose voices are like fleeting whispers. They all might enjoy seeing the people squabble, slapping each other and exchanging verbal abuses, knowing that many of them are mentally enslaved as blind party loyalists. If not now, when Guyana?
