APNU-AFC’s dangerous embrace of political ugliness

NOVEMBER 17, 2015 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER FEATURES / COLUMNISTS, FREDDIE KISSOON

Do men and women ever learn? I guess not? Perhaps politicians, more than any other category of humans, will not learn and do not want to. It has to do with power. Power destroys rationality. Once rationality goes, rulers lose their sense of timing, their surroundings and situational sensitivity gets lost. With the exception of former Minister of Labour, Nanda Gopaul, who did not deny or confirm, rumours are flying around about APNU-AFC’s intention of embracing high profile East Indians of the past PPP regime. Robert Persaud has denied it but Denis Chabrol who first broke the news, says he can be quoted as saying that he has confidence in his sources. Dr. David Dabydeen has scuttled rumours of a diplomatic post. If there is any intention of the APNU-AFC rulers to entice high profile Indians in Freedom House to join the coalition to create a multi-racial image or even genuinely reaching out, it will not work. Guyana is split along racial lines and each race finds expression in organizational biology. People in Guyana see organizations as representing their ethnic interest. They do not assess politics and race by individual endeavours. They judge politicians by which group they belong to. Once you leave the house, no matter how sincere your intentions are, suspicions will grow, because ethnic constituents feel you serve their interests when you belong to the organizations they feel represent them. Guyana’s journey with this failed strategy is very old. If someone like Moses Nagamootoo does not know this, then maybe Moses’ memory needs jolting. Faced with tempestuous rejection by the Indian community after he became Prime Minister, Forbes Burnham set about courting eminent Indians. But he extended this strategy not only to nationally known Indians, but also to Indians who were deeply involved with PPP activism. He undermined Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud. The Maha Sabha threw out Persaud and became supportive of the Government. Persaud formed his own mandir on Seaforth Street in Campbellville and his support grew larger among Hindus. The same thing happened with the Islamic Sadr Anjuman. The head, Mr. Yacoob Ally who was a PPP Parliamentarian, was ousted and the Anjuman became supportive of the PNC Government. But Muslims stuck with Ally. Burnham managed to secure the service of some big names in the PPP. Vincent Teekah, Ranji Chandisingh. PYO leaders Halim Majeed and Vic Puran became Presidential Advisors. GAWU leader, Harry Lall defected to the Government. Few historians would admit that these people dented the popularity of the PPP among Indians and that Jagan lost support. It didn’t happen. But Burnham honestly tried. The Indianized PPP came to power in 1992 and Jagan adopted Burnham’s stratagem. It was an ignominious failure. Jagan wasn’t satisfied with his own quota of African-Guyanese like Sam Hinds and Roger Luncheon. He brought some PNC stalwarts. Odinga Lumumba failed to convert Buxton to the cause of the PPP. In fact, Buxton almost became the nemesis of the PPP. Dr. James Rose, a PNC supporter at UG, was proselytized but did not win support from among African Guyanese for the PPP. Jagdeo continued where Jagan left off. Jagdeo took Kwame McCoy who was working with Mayor Hamilton Green. African Guyanese detested McCoy. There is nothing to suggest that Jillian Burton had won over the loyalty of Black women who supported the PNC. Joseph Hamilton was almost assaulted on election night at the PPP election office in Sophia in 2015. Where then did the old worn out game work? It didn’t under Burnham. It didn’t under Jagan. It didn’t under Jagdeo. It will not work under the Granger/Nagamooto ticket. It will only work when the PNC, whose support comes from African Guyanese, talk to the PPP whose existence is cocooned inside the Indian Guyanese community. And it will only work because the Indians want the PPP to talk to the PNC and only leaders from the PPP. The African Guyanese will only trust African leaders from the PNC to discuss power-sharing with the PPP. This may be morally revolting to prominent non-PPP Indians who feel they have ideas to offer. This may be politically unacceptable to non-PNC Africans who feel they can offer solutions without being part of APNU. But the cruel reality is that this is the way Guyana is. Plucking a name from the Indian community and catapulting him/her onto the pillars of power will not bring Indian support. The first question that should be asked is; does he/she carry weight among the Indian people from across Guyana? Who is that Indian if he/she exists at all? Certainly not Gopaul or Persaud or Dabydeen. Politicians never learn from history’s tragedies.