–in APNU’s bag of tricks

OLD Kai was proud to see the large numbers which turned up to celebrate the legacy of the Jagans at Babu John, Port Mourant, Berbice on March 9, 2014. This confirms that the memory of the Jagans still evokes strong passion; but equally confirmable is the fact that, some 17 years after his death, Cheddi Jagan’s party remains the strongest political force in Guyana.This contradicts those naysayers who had predicted the implosion of the PPP following the passing of the Jagans, but it is also testimony to the fortitude of the current leaders in the ruling party in advancing the ideals and policies of Dr. Jagan.

There are the eternal critics who will quickly seize the opportunity to accuse the current PPP leaders of straying from the ideals of the ‘father of our nation’, but this is absurd; as, if one were to assess the struggles encountered by Dr. Jagan during his political career, one would notice that there is not much difference today, only the environment has changed.

The charge of corruption is nothing new. In fact, no less a person than Ralph Ramkarran had written an article in the Party’s supplement, The Thunder, in the early 90s, criticizing the incessant accusations emanating from the opposition against Dr. Jagan of his condoning corruption.
I have already pointed out in a previous article how they used violent protests as both an indirect and direct means to overthrow the Government of Dr. Jagan in the 1950s and early 60s. They attacked Jagan’s economic policies, even though it was the most progressive of the time in this part of the world, and the legacy which still remains today, such as the Ruimveldt Industrial Park, University of Guyana, Black Bush and Canals Polder, just to name a few. Today, they are doing the same. They attacked Jagan for being a racist anti-African, but today they turn around and hypocritically praise the man and his ideals, and in so doing confess that he never had a racist bone in his body, or such a thought in mind.

He built the PPP, ever since it was formed on January 1, 1950, into a party that would represent the Guyanese identity. It is not his fault that, because of selfish needs, Burnham, with overseas backing, used race to undermine the party and broke away a few years later with his PNC faction.

The nasty racist propaganda and violent action by the PNC, now APNU, which followed is now eternally documented in the declassified CIA documents of the time. One of the individuals who played a leading role in the subsequent dictatorship which emerged is now conveniently the leader of the PNC and its mask, the APNU. He defended the actions of his supreme leader during those days, and continues to unflinchingly do so today; but then, in another corner of his mouth, says he is interested in ‘National Unity’.

Today, the PNC/APNU continue in their devious effort to paint the PPP as a race-based party; but can they tell us how many regions they won throughout Guyana in the last elections? The PPP won six of the 10 regions of Guyana, it came close behind in all the other regions it did not manage to win.
The PNC/APNU and the AFC, on the other hand, had embarked on a public campaign of playing upon citizens’ ethnic insecurities. This was quite evident both before and after November 28, 2011 in Linden and other targetted areas of the opposition.

A Partnership for National Unity sanctioned the efforts of its youth arm to circulate for boycott a list of businesses owned by one particular ethnic group. The campaign was outright dirty, yet today these very people come with a straight face and say they are interested in National Unity.

The hypocrisy was recently evident when the APNU leadership launched an attack on the PPP for what it termed an effort ‘to fan the flames of division, promote fear instead of hope, partisanship instead of statesmanship’. Old Kai at first found it difficult to believe that this statement was coming from APNU, which minutes later announced on the other side of its mouth that it would ‘not be participating in the national consultations on the AML/CFT bill’. So much for statesmanship, instead of partisanship.

In terms of fanning the flames of division, one just has to take a drive up Linden to see the ashes which serve as a reminder of APNU’s genuine concern and push for national unity.

Then there is APNU’s very serious accusation that the PPP was ‘promoting fear instead of hope’ at Babu John, this is the very APNU, which shortly before this statement had publicly threatened the staff at GINA and NCN, that if they “did not hear they will feel.”

Let us take a closer look at who really is promoting ‘hope’ and who is promoting ‘fear’, the PPP pushed for the Amaila Falls hydro project for Guyanese, the APNU has tried to kill it. The PPP pushed for advanced health care for citizens through a specialty hospital, the APNU has tried to kill it.

The PPP is intent on passing the AML/CFT Bill to protect our thriving economy from illicit financial transactions; the APNU is trying to kill it. Same can be said for the Marriott Hotel; the Cheddi Jagan Airport expansion etc.

Throughout our history, it is clear that only one political party has remained the symbol of hope and prosperity in our country, the PPP. At the same time, the PNC — now APNU — has a rich legacy of reducing our citizens to paupers, and is now trying to snuff out the air of hope and prosperity of our people once again.

But what was this great crime the PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee was accused of by APNU?
We are informed that Rohee had told his audience that “APNU (is) the enemy of national unity”!
Is APNU now encouraging the PPP General Secretary to lie?

Rohee has a duty to state the facts, which he did. If APNU feels it can vindicate itself, then it needs to cite examples — if not in the past, then in the present – to contradict the PPP. But no such effort has since been made, which is telling in itself.

In closing, let us be reminded that when the PPP/C Government recently sought to have a company map our natural resources in the New River Triangle area, so our citizens will know exactly what we possess as a nation, it was no other than APNU which attacked the effort and was more concerned about the interests of Suriname than that of our own people.