Dear Editor,
IN human history, when mistakes are made, we all look forward to opportunities, first to learn lessons and second to avoid making similar mis-steps in the future.
I write this letter the day after the results of the recount have been published, but what does the recount and subsequent action mean for Guyana?
The 2020 elections have exposed again the sad, sorry state of our national estate.
In an effort to have this condition examined a letter was sent to the leadership of the main political parties and published in sections of the media, January 2019.
In that letter, I proposed the immediate establishment of a National-Front Government, and made a number of suggestions, including a severe code of conduct for all leaders.
Let us be reminded that in the mid-fifties, our two national leaders (Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham) sought to create a new society as a result of the Waddington Constitution.
At that time, our workers were united across social and ethnic barriers where there was no racial tension, no greed or personal ambition.
They also sought to create a new Guyana man. This was during the height of the Cold War, and a treacherous world. The powerful leaders did not believe that a country of less than a million people deserved to go beyond the boundary of neocolonialism. The rest is history.
The two main political parties (PNC AND PPP) tinkered with the noble objective of unity. We saw the civic component, the reform, and now the second Coalition in our modern political history. None of these have brought us nearer to the goal of our dream of One People, One Nation, One Destiny.
This is a good time for us to work to realise the Burnham-Jagan dream; that is, the creation of a strong United Citizenship.
Let it be known that as the Cold War was winding down, Dr. Cheddi B. Jagan and Forbes Burnham accepted that unless they could find a mechanism for working together, our people would stumble.
The late Elvin Mc David was the principal go-between for these quiet Burnham-Jagan talks.
I was part of this quiet effort, and state without fear of contradiction that the two leaders were anxious to set aside differences and return to the 1953 situation, with the grouping (Burnham-Jagan) would lead Guyana to glory.
After Burnham’s demise, I made an effort to restart this initiative and rekindle the flames of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.
One evening, Dr. Joey Jagan brought his father, Cheddi, to my home in Lodge for a social chat. I had hoped to use the occasion to resume talks.
Unfortunately, Desmond Hoyte, unaware of the earlier talks, was hostile to the idea of PPP-PNC talks.
This, I regard as a tragedy.
The 2020 Elections results exposes the fact that in spite of the rhetoric with Afro, Indo-Guyanese relationships, three generations on, the rending of our social fabric has not seen much repair.
An examination of the ballot boxes from certain areas tells us that much change has not taken place, in so far as our voting pattern is concerned.
If, for whatever reason, we cannot recover from the earlier Apan Jaat crusade, then we must bring as a matter of urgency, our history of race relations since the end of slavery and the introduction of immigrants, allowing our people to see what can unite us as against what can divide us.
This education should begin from the cradle.
We must therefore forge boldly and systematically to deal with our racial ethnic demographics and come to an arrangement that affectively caters for this reality.
Many of us feel duty bound to avoid any form of pessimism, but evidence is now crystal clear. We are a divided nation.
Future governance, if it is to be successful must take account of the above situation.
Long before any other elections are held our Leaders must be prevailed upon to sit and in a civilized manner and talk things through.
Mr. Editor, this is a position I have taken for four decades.
In the late 1950’s, a group led by Eusi Kwayana out of the desperation to find a feasible forward step, even discussed the possibility of some form of partition.
This post-election period must not see us further frustrated but pursuing every opportunity for educating our young people of Guyana about our social and political history, which itself will remove the veil of bigotry and ignorance and allow us to march forward triumphantly.
Regards,
Hamilton Green
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_6-10-2020