If Guyanese and the world had any doubt about the dictatorial orientation and nature of the current PPP regime, I hope the President’s use of the heavy hammer to pound all of us would erase such doubts. Today we rightfully mourn another death blow to our right to be free people in a free Guyana. But, let’s be real—We look fuh that.
If Guyanese and the world had any doubt about the dictatorial orientation and nature of the current PPP regime, I hope the President’s use of the heavy hammer to pound all of us would erase such doubts. Today we rightfully mourn another death blow to our right to be free people in a free Guyana. But, let’s be real—We look fuh that. For three years our leaders in the Parliamentary Majority led us down the wrong road and as loyal followers we tried to make sense out of what was clearly not making sense.
From the beginning, some of us felt it was a mistake to allow a minority government to govern as a majority. Such an approach legitimized a government that by its very definition lacked legitimacy. Legitimacy of a government is conferred not only by the constitution, but, more importantly, by the belief of the vast majority of the people that the government has the moral and political right to govern. The leaders of the Parliamentary Majority, against the wishes of their constituencies, gave their stamp of approval to the PPP minority government. And this is the thanks they got. As Brother Bob Marley observed—“Hate is your reward for our Love.”
Only recently, I drew attention to the non-strategy behind the no-confidence vote. Clearly our lawyers knew of the President’s option to prorogue the parliament. The former Prime Minister of Grenada just this past year used it in that country to avoid facing a no-confidence vote. But by not preempting the President’s latest action, the AFC and APNU obviously didn’t believe the PPP would go down that road. In politics, you cannot predict every act by your opponents. But the PPP is an open book when it comes to the politics of domination.
We have had twenty two years of PPP’s bullying. Bullies do not respond to dialogue as strategy. Bullies only respond to dialogue when they know you are prepared to fight back. The PPP will continue to batter us until our leaders show some resolve to wage a relentless struggle to set the crooked ways straight and unambiguously declare in word and deed the Kwayana mantra — "This Confounded Nonsense Must Stop"
Dr. David Hinds, a political activist and commentator, is an Associate Professor of Caribbean and African Diaspora Studies at Arizona State University. More of his writings can be found on his website www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com
