LAST week I thought I was teleported into the realm of the paranormal when directed by a friend to Dr David Hinds’ vlog, Politics 101. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Apart from being vulgar, Hinds’ hate-ridden monologue was laced with racial invectives and vile racists epithets for Afro-Guyanese who dare to join or associate with the PPP/C.

Hinds views the PPP/C as a perpetual political home exclusively for Indo-Guyanese and only for Afro-Guyanese who have family ties from the founding of the party. No African has any business associating with the PPP/C, much less joining with it. They should leave the Indians to themselves and spend every waking energy trying to build up the PNC and align it for African domination of the reigns of power.

Hinds even took offence and wouldn’t even countenance the fantasy scenario created on social media that placed Mohamed, an Indo-Guyanese, as presidential candidate over prominent Africans to lead a combined opposition ticket.

I can’t recall any parallels in Guyanese politics for the last half century. There were no innuendos, euphemisms or veiled language, Hinds went all in on a full racist blitz. I generally believe that all humans have innate redemptive qualities, but I am not sure I am prepared to attach these sentiments to Dr Hinds. He has since doubled down on those comments and declared that he knew exactly what he was saying and that he is not prepared to apologise to anyone.

Hinds mentioned me by name and directed his racist chiding towards me for using my influence and efforts in leading young Africans to the PPP/C.
I guess that Hinds and others of his ilk ascribe ancestral shame to Africans for being part of the PPP/C. They believe that attaching racist epithets may cower Africans into silence or direct general ridicule to them and discourage others who want to escape being similarly assaulted. In short, create a coercive tabu around themes associated with the “threat of violence” and Africans will avoid or flee the PPP/C.

Apart from being the most self-defeatist path, such an approach will only strengthen the resolve of those who have chosen to support the PPP/C.

I can speak for myself. I want to be pellucid; I am undaunted in my support for the re-election of President, Dr Irfaan Ali; and if the opposition can countenance and produce the thinking on the level of Dr Hinds without a word of condemnation and dissociation from either the AFC or APNU, which were both recently engaged in coalition talks with the said Dr Hinds, WPA’s presidential candidate, then there is no alternative to the PPP/C in these 2025 elections.

Dear young people of Guyana, regardless of your racial nomenclature, it is time to help rid Guyana of the divisive politics of the past. Please unashamedly associate with any political party or group that best represents your views.

From where I stand, the PPP/C is best poised than any other organisation in Guyana to unify our people and advance the agenda and realise the aims of our national motto. It is time to step away from the mentality that Hinds is attempting to box you into. A defeatist mentality that suggests that as long as you are African you must never utter a word of criticism against any leader of African descent in the opposition, regardless of their shortcomings.

On the other hand, if you are African stay away from the PPP/C, nitpick and racialise everything the PPP/C leaders utter.

As I have said at other forums, the leadership of the PPP/C in the past did not exercise foremost carefulness in managing African relations.

While some PPP/C leaders are still a bit hesitant, some have stepped forward and owned the party’s past carefree approach to African relations. The PPP/C has a visible agenda to ensure that it reforms its approach to inclusivity. More than any period in the last half century, we find that there are more Afro-Guyanese seeing the PPP/C as an attractive political destination. This is due not only because the PPP/C has been making a renewed effort at African inclusion and avoidance of the points of carelessness of the past.

There is also a lot of recency bias associated APNU+AFC being in power with a poorer record of interventions that demonstrates it barely has a modicum of carefulness for the affairs of Africans.

Guyanese of all political persuasions have demonstrated that when a new president of any party takes office, they are prepared to temporarily lay down political arms for a honeymoon period before stepping up political pressure. Desmond Hoyte, Cheddi Jagan, Bharrat Jagdeo and David Granger all benefitted from a “leh we see wha he gon do” posture from the general voting public.

The two most contrasting are the presidencies of Granger and Ali. Granger started like a rock star. There was virtually no opposition impact on his presidency for the first year and a half. Then Granger’s downhill trajectory was rapid from there. By his third year in office, he faced a successful no-confidence motion. His record of unity was also abysmal, and he ended his term in public contempt and obloquy.
On the other hand, Dr Ali started in a cloud of uncertainty, he was regarded somewhat as a political haggard.

During that period as we waited, to see ‘wha he guh do,’ we saw a president swiftly growing in political stature, one who restored effervescence to the office; we saw a president making tangible efforts to bring unity and inclusivity; we saw a president who is prepared to reach out to anyone (of all persuasions) who is prepared to work towards a shared national agenda for unity and development. As a result of what the people saw, they are prepared to get on board.

Africans are prepared to support Dr Ali for a second term. Dr Hinds could talk cheese, many Africans remain unconvinced that the opposition can properly articulate or represent their needs.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.