By Abena Rockcliffe
I am a black woman, who gave birth to a black son. If he chooses a black wife, he will father black sons and daughters. I hope those in my afro-Guyanese bloodline benefit from a black community characterized by healthy consciousness and greater sense of destiny. As we stand, our black leaders exhibit consciousness at a level that allows them to tear down brothers and sisters who don’t share their opinion or subscribe to their narrative.
This sort of leadership style leaves me to wonder what destiny we are working towards. Is this sort of leadership a necessary tool to guide us to economic prosperity, to build character, to strengthen our family values and preserve our rich African culture? To regain political power?
Recently, Guyanese were in a frenzy when a black leader and political activist, Dr. David Hinds referred to brothers and sisters of his race as “lick bottom Africans”. He also called them slave catchers and sellouts. The crime? Lending support to the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP).
Dr. Hinds said “…all kinds of talk they giving us as to why they behaving like house salves and slave catchers. And running around the place, ‘I am campaigning for the return of Ali’…yall prefer to lick somebody ass.”
Dr. Hinds’ reaction highlights cultural and political ills that appear to be prevailing in our society despite our efforts at modernization. These ills include race-based politics, and the promotion of authoritarianism in what is supposed to be a democratic society.
Too many political leaders believe they have a monopoly on votes from Guyanese who are of the race consistent with their main support base. Afro-Guyanese have to support PNCR and Indo- Guyanese must support the PPP.
Therefore, Dr. Hinds was triggered when a black former PNCR Member of Parliament decided to openly support President Dr Irfaan Ali. You are black, Ali is Indian, this is wrong, you are a betrayal to your race seems to be essentially what Hinds believes.
I fail to see how this sort of narrative can be helpful to the plight of the black community which, as a whole, remains down trodden. We are one of the poorer groups dwelling in Guyana.b
While Guyanese are still to benefit from any recent data from a census, it is widely believed that Indians enjoy plurality. In the unlikely event that blacks turn out to be more on par with Indians in the context of number of eligible voters, there is still the fact that Indians are historically more enthusiastic voters. They turn out more. So, unless there is a departure from racial voting, it is highly unlikely that APNU or PNCR can return to political office.
Telling black people to avoid engagement with the PPP is also detrimental to the black community. Who will make representation on our behalf?
Had we not had that sense of entitlement to the black vote and support for his political party, the response to a shift of political support would have been different. Efforts would have been made to initially engage on merit. If this is were the stats quo, one would ask : Why the change of political persuasion? Has the PPP changed? Have you changed? The issues with the PPP that you highlighted in the past, have those been addressed? What about challenging the brother on his record in parliament, contributions he made to his community or even other black communities. You can also ask him how he intends to further the development of black communities while being with the PPP. A similar strategy was only adopted by Dr. Hinds, an elder in the black community, after the backlash of the “lick bottom” comment, for which he offered no apology.
In my mind, saying that selfish reasons are the only ones that can exist in the mind of a black man or woman who support PPP suggests that the black Guyanese are incapable of reasoning. Race-based politics is lazy, unimaginative and destructive.
Just as concerning is the fact that we seem to be fostering a society where a dissenting voice is seen as the enemy. Even if you support the party that predominantly represents your race, it becomes problematic if you disagree with the action of your leader or a particular narrative.
When Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira registered his concerns about Dr. Hinds’ comments, he was, of course, lambasted by some other afro leaders. He didn’t leave his party or forsake the cause of the black man. But how dare he disagree with Dr. Hinds?
It is something not only practiced by Dr. Hinds and those of his ilk. Indo- Guyanese who criticize the PPP are called Neemakharam or Namak Haram, meaning traitor.
But it even goes beyond that. Ordinary citizens get their fair share where they too are kept in a box.
When one registers an opinion against a governing party, government or cabinet members, that disagreement is equated to an anti-government stance. It is never seen that one can disagree with a government that still enjoys one’s overall support.
The Guyanese society seems to be becoming more unaccommodating. We seek to develop infrastructure but not the strength of our democracy. Democracy extends far beyond making sure the will of the people is not thwarted at elections. Democracy doesn’t just speak to the right to vote freely. Democracy means allowing people to have their say without fear.
For instance, I believe that President Irfaan Ali undermined the wow effect for Budget 2025 by making premature announcements. He announced the cash grant last October, way before the government was ready for a countrywide roll out; he announced the removal of bridge tolls knowing full well that those measures would not be implemented until after the passage of Budget 2025. My opinion is that for optics, it would have been better to announce measures when the government is ready to implement and roll out. The President should have waited.
I shared my opinion with a colleague who responded, “are you an enemy of the state?” Of course, my good colleague was being facetious. But that sort of response encapsulates the perceived status quo. If you support the government or opposition your thoughts and opinions must be aligned with the policies and narratives.
At his last press conference, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo encouraged citizens to raise their voices whenever they observe substandard construction. He said that this would not be seen as criticism of the government. A step in the right direction, I hope, as a society that sports democracy, those steps can be made more often. Further, I hope that Dr. Jagdeo stands by his words.
