From the Duncan Sandy’s carte blanche, to their silly "boycott-only-to-return" of parliament, to their misguided "critical support", the PPP has committed one folly after another. While they made massive and undeniable developments (rural electrification, potable water, roads, agricultural schemes, UG, cottage hospitals, etc.) during their short tenure in the 1960s, they were an abysmal failure as an opposition.
Many opined that the PPP only gave legitimacy to the PNC and ensured their longevity by “locking in” the Indian vote, through affiliates like the RPA and GAWU. This prevented a unified opposition. Indeed, the only serious and credible threat the PNC ever faced during their 28 years rule was from Dr. Walter Rodney. Had the Cold War not ended, and had Hoyte not made a critical misjudgment that he could win a free and fair election so quickly after Burnham died, the PPP would still be languishing in the wilderness.
In 1992, the PPP rode to power on a huge swell of goodwill, both from disenchanted Blacks and brutalized Indians, and on the backs of people who had put up a stronger fight against the PNC. By then it had suffered a drought of competent people, by a combination of defections to the PNC (Vincent Teekah, Ranji Chandisingh, Harry Lall), attrition, and migration (Fenton Ramsahoye). Yet it deliberately chose not to use the wealth of human resources available outside of the PPP, such as Clive Thomas and Frederick Ramkissoon. Instead, it added a “Civic” component and chooses to fool itself that that addition made the PPP multiracial. It even fired a competent career diplomat in Rashleigh Jackson, and had us foot a bill for half million $US. This, unfortunately but understandably, has caused men like Clive Thomas and David Hinds to adopt a more racial stance.
In fairness to the PPP, it has given good governance in the 8 years of its second chance. It has reduced the national debt considerably, and put us back on the road to development. But it has also committed even bigger blunders. One was to repeat the PNC practice of packing Boards and Commissions, with its own party hacks. There are the scandals of party affiliates getting kickbacks for giving out multimillion-dollar sea-defense and road-construction contracts to selected contractors (people, both Blacks and Indians harped about it, so it was not a “racial thing,” yet the PPP remains silent. This is one reason why Ravi Dev has recently asked for the PPP to make public, its campaign contributions). Another major failure was to establish an early rapport with the very people who sent it into the wilderness in the 60s. No, not the PNC, but the PSU!
Only recently the PPP committed yet another blunder - in the manner (not the demands) in which it went into dialogue with the PNC. Dialogue was long overdue. However, Mr. Hoyte had publicly announced that he would enter the dialogue from a "position of strength." We know that by this he did not mean the ballot box, but through discriminate violence against non-PNC civilians, primarily the Indian population. President Jagdeo, despite saying in a GTV interview on April 11, "If (PNC/R leader) Mr. (Desmond) Hoyte thinks that the street protests are going to force some concessions out of the government, that's wrong," did NOT publicly say that he would have dialogue only if Hoyte come as an equal, and unless the violence ceases - conditions that are universally considered as sine qua non in such situations. In fact, in less than a fortnight thereafter, he agreed to meet with the PNC leader, whilst "street protest" was still occurring. The records will show that their first meeting was marred by violence.
Its biggest folly to date occurred when Cheddi was called to higher service. That presented it with a golden opportunity to have a moderate, respected Black president in Sam Hinds. Not only did it fail to recognize that the PNC had so demonized Indians that Blacks now had a hang-up about being governed by one (and only accepted Cheddi because he was Cheddi), but from the point of view of Blacks, chose the worst possible candidate in Janet Jagan. Janet deserves to be in Guyana’s Hall of Fame, but her selection at that time was both naive and stupid. Then again, the PPP has never been noted for pragmatism. If it had, it never would have gone into the wilderness in the first place. Now, instead of Sam Hinds, we are saddled with Hoyte as de facto President!
The selection of Vice President Hinds would have united this bruised and battered nation once again. It would have stagnated the PNC, which was then facing severe financial problems. Now the PNC has arisen like a phoenix from the ashes, bolstered by new blood in the ACDA, from whom we will soon hear very, very much.
Today, the PPP is set to commit another folly. It is about to recapitalize the Army. Maybe the PPP is euphoric about the Police Force doing a good job under trying conditions, and hopes that the Army will do the same. Was the party threatened to improve on the Army, or else (like the arrangement it is mooted to have with the PNC, about Dr. Walter Rodney’s assassination investigation)? Whatever the reason, it is on course to commit its biggest folly yet. Why do we say this?
Recapitalization of the Army is unnecessary and unwarranted. Guyana does not need a stronger Army. It is capable of taking on a similarly weak Surinam. It will never be able to take on Venezuela. So President Jagdeo should explain his rush to spend our precious and limited resources on such recapitalization, rather than on much needed development elsewhere. Furthermore, the Army is the one real object that the Indian population has suspicion about. Don’t confuse the Army with the Police Force. The Police Force is a professional and respectable unit that was there before both the PPP and the PNC. During the 60s, while Police Officers like Superintendent McLeod put their lives on the line, the Volunteer Force—forerunner to the GDF—stood by while wholesale murder, rape, looting, and arson was committed in Wismar. While the Police Force was forced to carry out the dirty work of the PNC, the Army was created by the PNC to do just that. (Undoubtedly, there are good, professional men in the Army, and they should be preserved. But by and large, the Indian population sees the Army, and rightly so, as an instrument of suppression and criminality). Does anyone in the PPP have an idea of what even one helicopter with two machine guns can do, if "push comes to shove?" It is not as if push cannot come to shove—we all know that Guyana is still not stable. So why do things that may come back to haunt us? Is this blind trust, fear, or folly?
The PPP should hold a referendum to determine what is its constituents’ most important priority, and whether an improvement of the Army is tantamount to the Indian community tying one arm behind its back. They do happen to be 50% of the population, right? Fifty percent of the population should have a say in such a situation, should they not? We believe that because Indians believe themselves to be the ones targeted by criminals and thugs, not today alone, but for decades, they will certainly have a resounding “no” to say to the PPP and the Army.
Instead, it is the Police Force that needs to be recapitalized. The Police are the ones who fight crime and give protection on a daily basis, despite being ill-equipped and grossly underpaid. Hopefully, the PPP would not interfere in the operation of the Police Force, especially to placate Hoyte’s distraction of “police brutality.” That would then be akin to amputating the other arm. But who knows. Maybe the PPP leaders are like the no-armed swordsmen one finds in Chinese movies!
