AFC leader Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan’s prediction that unless Linden residents continue getting subsidised electricity then all hell will break loose. Such a policy will neither endear AFC’s image nor is it fair for all poor Guyanese. Obviously there are poor Indians, blacks, Chinese, Amerindians etc all across Guyana. Why must Linden alone get special treatment? Calling on the PPP/C government to go back to the drawing board on its plan to increase the electricity rates for Linden may be good, but surely not under the threat that it could “fuel national unrest.”
Understandably, the AFC is concerned “there should not be an increase in tariffs in Linden. There must be a better way for that community, that is suffering for such a long time,” according to the AFC leader as reported in a SN on 6-22-12 Titled “AFC warns of unrest over Linden power tariff”.

What good reason motivates Mr. Ramjattan to portray the residents of Linden as depraved, violent people without any form of civility is anybody’s guess. Could he be fearful of losing his current 30,000 Indian crossover votes at the next election, so he is carving a voters’ bank among blacks?

Obviously, the AFC cannot be championing that only Linden should get subsidised electricity, unlike the rest of the Guyanese who pay their fair share. Seems like the AFC is playing their black race card to recapture their lost 2006 Linden sheep. We may as well go the whole inevitable nine yards and compare treatment of our sugar workers as it will happen anyway. Why must they fare worse? Is it because of their colour, race or religion? Does it prevent them from getting subsidies as well? For example, when GUYSUCO did not meet their obligations to their workers, was there any talk of violence whatsoever?
Despite the capture of some 30,000 Indian Berbice sugar workers who keep the AFC afloat, what has it achieved for them so far?
Slashing budgets and firing workers are not good ways to win future votes.

If such AFC predictable violence is a precursor to achieve one’s needs, what more bounty looms if the Government of Guyana and its entire Parliament was held to ransom? The quest for political power even witnesses a new Eusi Kwayana recalibration using the preamble of the constitution for his goals. How more legitimate he has become after
migrating from his original Lusignan to Buxton can equally be compared to that of my Trinidad links.
What Trinidad however does is to subsidise water, house taxes and electricity rates pegged to one’s income and not by geography, race or religion. Trinidad even subsidises gasoline for everyone, regardless of race or class. Some individuals get some form of government benefits based on their incomes. It is absolutely not allocated unfairly for an entire racial constituent to by zone, region or race, as in Linden. So poor people pay less because of their incomes. What Trinidad however does not have, with no apologies are Guyana-type Kwayanas triggering and sustaining acute race divisions like a religious ritual for perpetual emancipation.

Being overwhelmingly black cannot entitle Linden to be its singular qualification by special entitlement treatment and separate consideration to subsidise their electricity and water rates.
Certainly not everyone in Linden is poor. There are also many poorer Black people all across the entire Guyana more than Linden as there are poorer Guyanese in our country. This type of “equality” has no foundation at all. Or else soon Region 6I will demand such an inspired “equality” in match. Very hard to deny of course.

Our “hand to mouth” politicians must stop this confounded nonsense of holding the government to ransom by using the threat of violence and the race card as a weapon of mass destruction. Guyana must not always be at war  when it can find a safe, federated resolution.