APNU wants people to forget
It would not be unfair to state that examinations of any sort can induce psychological fear. Whether it’s academic or medical, very often fear creeps in prior to, or during the process, thereby creating the environment for increased secretion of adrenalin. In politics, history can present opportunities for examination and, by extension, the sensing of fear which inevitably leads to desperation. This fear and desperation is very evident now within the APNU and AFC camps.
Given the history of the PNC, which has been re-branded APNU, its Presidential Candidate, David Granger, would be ecstatic if pertinent aspects of this country’s history are shelved and not mentioned now or anytime in the future. His preference would be for the present generation to be oblivious of the atrocities of the PNC regime.
Unfortunately, this will not be. All must be aware of what transpired under that dictatorship so that they can appreciate more the gains and progress the PPP/C administration engineered.
As stated by President Jagdeo, there has to be a baseline to gauge the successes of the PPP/C in government. Obviously, this is automatically set at October 05, 1992 when democracy was restored.
History would show that during the PNC’s regime, the country was financially and technologically bankrupt with all social services and infrastructure either absent or in disrepair. A land phone was a luxury limited to a few; the same for cars, television and other basic necessities. A computer was almost a figment of one’s imagination.
What was prevalent, just to list a few, was the suppression of the freedoms we now enjoy, shortage of basic food items, physical abuse and incarceration of those who dare to oppose and the rigging of elections. With regards to the latter, two young men, Jagan Ramessar and Parmanand Bholanauth, paid with their lives while trying to prevent the ballot boxes from being hijacked by forces loyal to the PNC. At that time Mr. Granger had a prominent position in the Army.
This space would never be adequate to document the atrocities and the derelict state Guyana was reduced to both locally and internationally by the PNC. The many freedoms and comforts Guyanese now enjoy through visionary developments by the PPP/C administration, have led to many from the diaspora returning home to invest and reside. A stark contrast from when they fled the brutality of the PNC regime. It is clear that Mr. Granger and his advisors do not want those who lived through those times to be reminded and for the young to be apprised of what transpired under the PNC.
Young people who are always occupied with texting, enjoying music through Ipods, hooked on social networks by computers or smart phones, drive their own cars, have respectable jobs and flock entertainment spots everyday, cannot believe Guyana was once the poorest country in the western hemisphere! The rapid development seen across the country since 1992 has led to the transformation of the landscape to meet the demands of a modern society. Guyana’s status has catapulted on the international arena to the point where it now leads in some areas.
While there is more to be done, Guyana today is the country all dreamt of; a Guyana that the PPP/C has developed through prudent management; the only Guyana that many young people know.
This is the Guyana that the PNC/APNU would want all to know. They would wish all to forget the Guyana that they led to bankruptcy and dereliction. That’s why they are so fearful of when their atrocities are being exposed. Their record, or lack thereof, will once again be examined during this period. That is why they shudder and have become desperate for grading time is here. Their adrenalin flow has increased to accommodate their fright.
