Dear Editor,
I HAVE observed that Bharrat Jagdeo (PPP) has started a video collection of Afro-Guyanese expressing their discontent with the government. Might I say that nothing is wrong with anyone expressing his or her genuine feelings of dissatisfaction with any government, the Coalition government included. No government can please everyone, no matter how objectively good it is. In the same vein, no government, no matter how bad it is, would excite objections from every citizen.

What stands out in Jagdeo’s video collection, however, is the fact that his video bloggers are only Afro- Guyanese. I rather suspect that these are not the only shades of people who have disquiet with the government. The singling out of Afro-Guyanese for this venture sends a clear message. It says in bold terms that a government which is seen as a `Black’ government has done nothing for `Black’ people in Guyana; and it is for this reason, Afro-Guyanese should reject the government and seek refuge in the PPP. It also says to Indo-Guyanese, in my respectful view, that ‘if a `Black’ government has done nothing for its own people, then what do you expect it to do for you?’
I’ll ask the simple question, if the fortunes these folks enjoyed were good under the PPP, then why even support a competitor of the PPP?
We can all agree that the narrative would have been different and the videos would have assumed a different format, if the government employed corrective measures to balance the fortunes of our countrymen. Any affirmative action taken by the government would have been branded as a `Black’ government catering to the needs of `Black’ people at the expense of other races.

Is this how Jagdeo intends to expand the Afro-Guyanese base of the PPP? Is this one of the measures he is employing in his promise to enlarge the Afro-fold of the PPP? It worries me when we as a country, regardless of ethnicity, allow these abuses of our countrymen to translate into political appeal. This approach is not even veiled racism. It is blatantly racist and disrespectful. Jagdeo can scarcely say with sincerity that he cares for these people and their plight (genuine or otherwise). This fashion of presenting them is testimony only of their exploitation for political mileage. If we are going to provide a platform through video blogging for persons disaffected with the government or with the PPP, let us give a voice to representatives of all ethnic groups.

The time has long passed when our countrymen should be pitted against each other in this way. Let us all resist this kind of nonsense.

Regards,
Ronald J. Daniels