A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change should be ashamed of themselves for seeking, though it would seem hesitantly, to defend the utterances of politician, Amanza Walton-Desir on race.

The parties, independently, that make-up that Coalition group are no doubt compliant in the rationale and thinking put forward by this lawyer, which has earned the vexation, condemnation and scorn of the nation’s people.

The very insensitive rhetoric was shoved down the throats of Guyanese, along with a twisted and half-baked story for political appeal on social media via the “Politics 101” show which attracts mostly persons with axes to grind with the administration.

Walton-Desir, while responding to a question during the discussion said, “Unfortunately, that part of the political divide on the PPP have a base that prefer if they say this is what is going to happen, men are going to come and rape your children, they believe that. Because the burden of sorting things out for themselves is too great.”

She continued by saying, “And so they remain trapped, all the while believing they are free to think and self-determine. They don’t have the freedom of self-determination. Because freedom requires responsibility… so we have a bunch of mentally lazy people. The PPP understands this very very well and so they capitalise on it,”.

Soon after ‘she’ not the ‘party’ issued a video recording in which she attempted to ‘fix her mouth’ and ‘justify’ what she meant by saying those things. It didn’t work because the governing party and its supporters rightfully took serious offence to what was said.

The PNC-General Secretary, Amna Ally broke her silence on the matter and got into the mix, defending the MP from the onslaught of criticisms.
In those criticisms, Walton-Desir was asked to apologise but she has refused to do so. The Indian Action Committee (IAC) has also lodged a complaint against her with the Ethnic Relations Commission, asking the Commission to fully investigate the alleged racism and potential race-hate that could come as a result of the MP’s statement.

What is still to be seen is the Opposition holding a cohesive position on what Desir has said and the implications, if any, for the political future of the already shattered and seemingly leaderless party. Where is the former President, David Granger, or Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon? Will they hold out that the MP statements were clearly twisted and taken out of context? What does the other lawyers in the Coalition have to say?

What about Volda Lawerence? Will they speak out on this critical theme of combatting racism even when it is clearly being directed at another group?
The truth is, what Walton-Desir said may be the clandestine and abhorrent ways of thinking employed by those in the PNC/R/APNU+AFC camp.

They think of themselves as superior to any other grouping in Guyana. They do not think that ordinary folk or one race could think for themselves or is mentally free. They think it is the group of elites in the PPP who no doubt thinks for this group of “mentally lazy” constituents.

It is sad that the APNU+AFC could not bring themselves to condemn their own MP for allegedly stirring the pot and speaking about a group in Guyana so disparagingly. Instead of apologising to the nation for what was clearly not a position of the group, the APNU+AFC continues to deceive the Guyanese people and make all sorts of excuses as to why what was said was said, and its true intended meaning. This is weak leadership and ethnic politics playing out here.

If the MP wants to talk about mental slavery in terms of Guyana’s period of anti-entrepreneurship, anti-growth and anti-development, Geographic under-development, anti-academic and scare educational freedoms , anti-civil rights and injustice, then she should look to the PNC/R and its alleged use of divisive policies that held back Guyana from achieving total freedom and independence for more than two decades.

In every sector of the country, the persons whom she hinted as not being “free” have made their indelible contributions to a more progressive society in the areas of commerce, trade, politics, education, health and growth.

If she has any iota of decency, conviction and regard for her future in politics or her reputation as an attorney, she would apologise then resign.