THE African Cultural & Development Association (ACDA) holds itself accountable to the nation, and will now respond to the accusations directed at the main speaker at the ‘UN International Year of Peoples of African Descent’ outreach meeting in the post-emancipation village of Beterverwagting on the East Coast of Demerara, a village involved in the Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823. Tacuma Ogunseye is an executive member of both ACDA and the WPA.  Both of these organizations have been at the forefront of promoting ‘Shared Governance’ for social and economic justice, the end of racism and for national reconciliation in Guyana. Indeed, Walter Rodney lost his life while fighting for social justice for Guyanese of all races and Tacuma Ogunseye spent years in jail for this same principle, fighting for all races in Guyana, especially the downtrodden
We have seen reports in Demerara Waves and the Chronicle purporting to statements made by Brother Tacuma at this outreach meeting. We have also witnessed the ‘righteous indignation’ of organizations and letter writers (to Ogunseye’s remarks).
Let the nation and International community know that the Executive Committee of ACDA which meets once a week, has not endorsed any political party, has not endorsed any winner-take-all elections and never will. ACDA has, for the last 19 years, beginning with its Foundation documents which were written by Eusi Kwayana in 1992, called for shared governance. The Executive Committee has also never discussed what would happen if any group were to win or lose an election.
Many groups have been asking for meetings with ACDA and want to speak to its leader. Well, ACDA has no President or single leader consistent with our belief in shared governance.
Mr. Tacuma Ogunseye of the Community Advocacy committee of ACDA, like all other speakers of other committees, is not given a script or ‘talking points’ to conduct meetings. For years now, ACDA has internally and externally discussed the issue of shared governance as ACDA firmly believes, and has been proven, that Guyana’s motto of ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’ which preaches ‘racial equality and inclusiveness’ will never be achieved under a winner-take-all system which chooses ‘ethnic winners and losers’ and therefore, promotes and rewards ethnic divisiveness and exclusion.
Today, the evidence of the winner-take-all form of governance has been that Guyana has become a modern day political, social, economic, racial and cultural tragedy. The political experiment of Governance by both the PNC and now by the PPP has left no doubt that this country is strangled by both perceptions and justifications of marginalization during both political periods.
Under the winner-take-all system, Guyana will continue to have an ethnic census. ACDA does not see how any elections under this system can be free & fair or free of fear. Yet this is the measurement the international community uses.
A winner-take-all election in Guyana cannot be FREE and FAIR because thousands of citizens of all races and especially Amerindians, have not been able to register because of the lack of birth certificates and a second identification. Also, the winner-take-all system is an anti-human rights racially-divisive system that promotes and rewards racism.
The winner-take-all system cannot be FREE of FEAR because as we have already seen from public statements, including those from the highest office, that racial fears will play an important role because of the perception that one race has a larger block of votes than the other.
ACDA has never advocated race hate because, at the heart of shared governance, is the theme of ‘equality of all races, national reconciliation and justice’. Additionally, there is no African philosophy or religion that exists that justifies genocide on the premise of religious or racial supremacy. And no ACDA member would incite harm to any other people for the guilt of its leaders. We also know that those who bear the greatest burden of guilt often shout the loudest in the pretence of being the victim. Witness those who condemned what Tacuma said but said nothing when their own speaks with racial intent.
ACDA again calls on all ‘peace loving and just Guyanese’ to tell all political leaders enough is enough and ask them to sign a binding declaration…that all political parties will go to the next elections, whenever held, under a shared governance system that will give all Guyanese the peace and justice they deserve under a government of national unity and reconciliation.