THE implementation of various inclusive and robust policies by the government has led to the rapid elimination of age-old racist narratives, benefitting all Guyanese.
This is according to People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) city councillors, Steven Jacobs, and Alfonso De Armas who shared these sentiments during a recent discussion on the Let’s Talk programme.

The councillors were discussing President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s recent visit to New York and the mixed reception he received from members of the diaspora as well as those who opposed his presence there.
Jacobs said he watched and saw different persons calling for boycotts of the businesses that stretched their hands and had a warm reception to the President.

He added, “I think that is hypocrisy to its highest. You know we have these businessmen and women who have the right to speak to anyone, we shouldn’t look to target their businesses and so forth, we have to encourage them and His Excellency went there for a particular reason, to listen to them and lend support.”

Against this backdrop, De Armas highlighted that these were mostly Afro-Guyanese business people in the diaspora that those persons were calling for a boycott of.
He said, “So, you’re telling people to boycott the same people you claim to care so much about; think about the optics of what these guys are calling for.”

To this end, he said that where there is a vacuum of actual policy on their end as was seen in the previous administration, in the absence of same the only thing to play on is racism.
As such, Jacobs said that what needs to happen is persons need to understand where the race talk came from, understand, conceptualise and move forward.

“What His Excellence is doing right now is driving that away, putting that away with this one Guyana mandate and the way forward,” he said.
Further to this, he indicated that the One Guyana mandate led by the Head of State is action and as a result, the race narrative is being buried.

The councillor said that when one looks at the current status quo they would understand that to win an election it is a collective effort to have those collective votes to win.

He added that one example that can be seen is the most recent Local Government Elections where the PPP/C made significant inroads in communities all across Guyana. This, he said indicates that the age-old racial narratives are robustly being wiped away with policies and actions.

Jacobs iterated that these narratives need to be shut out and Guyanese work together for the development of the country which is rapidly transforming.
“We need to shut them out, understand where this country is going, where it’s heading its unfolding right in front of our eyes the development and the transformation we cannot hide it,” he said.