DAVID Granger wants to make women do many of the things they were doing in the 1970s and 1980s. This, apparently, is his new political strategy. But those who know Guyana of the 70s and 80s must be horrified at the thought that the nation will once again be subjected to more WRSM(Women’s Revolutionary Socialist Movement) leadership. Let us take a retrospective look. Quick question – does anyone remember what was the official charge by the PNC in 1983? Chances are you have forgotten. It was ‘The Year of the Will to Survive!’
That’s right, a call on the nation to do its best to survive because of the horrific economic conditions, and especially the massive shortage of foodstuff.
The PNC had spent years trying to feed, clothes, and house the nation by 1976. Instead of food, clothes, and houses by 1976, the country was tottering on the brink of starvation. Of course, if you had a PNC card you could have gone to a Knowledge Sharing Institute(KSI) and collect some groceries reserved for the comrades.
Now, this is where women came in. The PNC deployed the WRSM on the nation. The main task of that group was to train women how to make rice flour, a product that made you vomit, and that gave many constipation.
Steve Garner, author of Ethnicity, Class and Gender – Guyana 1838-1985- reminds us that food was so short that the PNC started to attack foreign foods. If you were caught with flour and you did not have a PNC card you were sent to the lock ups.
The food shortage was so bad that the PNC said the economy was on a war footing! During the same time, however, there was no food shortage at National Service. Students from UG were forced to go to National Service, and if they did not, they could not graduate. Current PNCR presidential candidate David Granger had a big say at National Service.
Not knowing what to do with the food shortage, the PNC basically thought it might give awards to women for bearing up with the horrible shortage. Thus, a PNC editorial stated that – “for their dedication and inventiveness in our battle for survival in the face of shortages and restrictions which are still hurting, but would have hurt more but for their enterprise in using yams, cassava and rice in producing palatable and sometimes superior substitutes.”
The superior substitute was, of course, rice flour, a horrible product that resulted from PNC’s economic mismanagement.
On a different score, it must be said that Granger’s comment about half-virgin is in poor taste and he should withdraw it.