GUYANA has a vibrant democracy and many people and organisations must share the credit for what happened some 17 years ago. Among those that deserve credit are the Guyanese people, the PPP, WPA and DLM, GAWU and NACCIE, the Carter Center, the Guyanese diaspora who raised funds and lobbied, and a large number of individuals who put their lives on the line. Some lost their lives in the process and others suffered a plethora of indignities and injuries. These included imprisonment, severe beatings, lighter beatings such as slaps and chuck-ups, refusal of employment, demotion, transfers to remote locations, threats to join the PNC and other PNC linked organisations, forced labour through National Service, denial of graduation for refusing the said forced labour, seizure of property, harassment and intimidation at the airport, systematic coercion at Timehri to offer bribes in order to leave the country, seizure of personal property (especially electronic items) upon entry at Timehri airport, denial of the right to openly express political views, forced union membership, punitive measures against children and siblings of anti-authoritarian activists, food rationing, denial of the right to participate as a free investor in the economy (which was 80-90% owned by the state), lack of news print, organised theft of ballots, denial of free travel because you were only allowed to leave the country with $40, forced purchases of groceries at the Knowledge Sharing Institute which never had much groceries, targeted professional marginalization, forced political donations, arbitrary search and seizures, forced to present party card in order to get basic services, and the shortage of more than one hundred basic items for everyday survival. These include (but are not restricted to) flour, rice, dhal, garlic, onions, butter, soap- powder, cooking oil, gasoline, sardines, Blue, cereals, soap (both for bath and washing), salted fish, blamange, toothpaste, car parts, tooth brushes, kero, bicycle parts, cigarettes, bathroom tissues, pens, paper, books, magazines, fans, fridges, meat, shoes, reliable transportation, Ovaltine, Milo, tea, bread, sugar cake, textbooks, chips, nut butter, geometry sets, shoe polish, eggs, raisin and currants, chocolate bars for the kids, among others. Young people may not know this but if you were caught with some of these items (such as flour) you could have ended up in jail! The government had prescribed flour made from rice!
It would be very useful for younger people to go around and do some surveys in their spare time about what is written here. Ask the older folks about the shortages if you want a more complete list. Finance Minister Greenidge response to these problems was widely dubbed, Empty Rice Pot, throughout the country. Ask him.
The PNC and especially the new crop of potential presidential candidates want the Guyanese people to forget these facts. This should not be allowed to happen because these facts are part of the record of the party. The contenders for the leadership spot of the PNC were all present during the ordeal described above and they must give an account of their role in policymaking that led to this debacle. The WPA should also clarify if it had indeed stockpiled arms and ammunition as pointed out by one of its top insiders. If so, where are the arms today? The nation awaits individual answers.