Two recent incidents in Guyana are typical reminders of the decades-long consistency with which the PNC, WPA, AFC and those one-person parties in APNU betray their supporters, and explain why these supporters are migrating in droves every day from these political parties.
David Hinds, like Hamilton Green and others, believes that Afrocentric political parties: PNC, AFC, WPA, have ownership over Afro-Guyanese. Aside from that, they promote the contemptible position that only Afro-Guyanese have the legitimacy to head any government in Guyana.
In his regular social media programme, Hinds went on a repugnant cuss-down tirade against Afro-Guyanese who freely choose to support the PPP, describing them as house slaves, slave-catchers and “lick-bottoms”. For good measure, he vulgarly explained what he meant by “lick-bottoms”. Hinds’s feral attack on thousands of decent Afro-Guyanese was motivated by his dismay and desperation, resulting from the large numbers of Afro-Guyanese who have rejected the opposition’s constant racist messaging and have decided to join forces with the PPP’s ONE GUYANA movement.
Not a single day passes without more Guyanese from all ethnic groups joining the ONE GUYANA platform; choosing to stand with President Irfaan Ali on the side of freedom and unity, and rejecting the opposition’s constant appeal for polarization and racial division.
Aubrey Norton, leader of the PNC, the “kith and kin” party, insisting he “does not control” what Hinds or anyone says, refused to condemn Hinds for his disparaging cuss-down of Afro-Guyanese citizens who used their democratic right to choose which political party they want to associate with. But, as the Attorney General stated, the question was never about control, it was whether Norton condones or rejects the words of Hinds.
His refusal to condemn Hinds is consistent with his own party’s position: that Afro-Guyanese who support the PPP are house slaves and slave-catchers. The PNC, APNU and AFC are all guilty through their deafening silence. The virulent, nauseating and racist sentiments in Hinds’s cuss-down in his social media programme deserve condemnation from everyone.
Where are the groups that purport to speak for Afro-Guyanese? Where are Vincent Alexander and IDPADA-G, and Eric Phillips and ACDA? What happened to Lincoln Lewis, Henry Jeffrey, Mark Benschop, Rickford Burke and others? There is also the silence of other commentators who often speak on everything under the sun, especially when they have opportunity to display their anti-PPP badge.
The migration by thousands of Afro-Guyanese from the PNC, WPA and AFC to the PPP’s ONE GUYANA – some of whom are prominent names – has driven fear in the Opposition, because they are faced with the stark reality that Afro-Guyanese citizens have rejected the Opposition’s claim of ownership over Afro-Guyanese.
In the local government elections of 2022, in every constituency that had been a stronghold of the PNC, Afro-Guyanese came out in support of the PPP. This has incensed people like Hinds. For people like Hinds, Afro-Guyanese belong to the PNC and WPA, and whenever they dare choose freedom, they are condemned with derogatory names such as traitors, house slaves, slave catchers and “bottom-lickers” .
That none of the prominent groups purporting to speak on behalf of Afro-Guyanese have condemned Hinds is a total, absolute betrayal of Afro-Guyanese. However, those who have utilised their freedom to choose are not shocked, because they had experienced absolute betrayal from the PNC, WPA, AFC, and the groups that arbitrarily decided they speak for all Afro-Guyanese.
At least, the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has decided that it would look into Hinds’s racist tirade, to consider if it has violated the law.
Commendation for rejecting Hinds’s loathsome remarks about Afro-Guyanese must be extended to PNC MP Jermaine Figueira and the Association of People of African Descent (APAD), who have risked being deemed house slaves and “lick-bottoms”. Commendation is also due to former Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, for also condemning Hinds. But unlike the former mayor, the other sprinkling of Indo-Guyanese in the PNC and AFC have remained silent.
The same kind of PNC betrayal of Afro-Guyanese is evident in how the PNC and other Afrocentric groups have treated the three Mocha-Arcadia residents who lost their legal challenge in the courts. These residents, together with a number of others, were squatting on Government reserves. There were numerous notices given to them for many years, dating back to 2008. A new highway was planned along the East Bank corridor for some time now, passing through the very land on which these persons had squatted. With the planned highway becoming a reality, the Government made a generous offer to the residents: move out of the Government reserve, accept transported land at another site, and financial compensation way above the appraised value for the buildings and crops they had. Most of the residents accepted the offer. Under pressure from the PNC, WPA, AFC and other Afrocentric groups, a small group refused the Government’s offer; they asked for land and a million US dollars each.
The Chief Justice threw out the case, and ordered the residents to pay the AG, Ministry of Housing and GuySuCo $2M. Insisting that they gave “good advice”, Norton and the rest have abandoned the Mocha-Arcadia group. This is total, but typical, PNC betrayal.
Fortunately, these residents are not alone, because, in spite of the names he was called when the residents were removed, President Ali stated: “I’m your president; I’m here to help”. For accepting the president’s help, which we can be confident will happen, will these Mocha residents be called “house slaves”, “slave-catchers” and “lick-bottoms”?
In spite of the mountain of disappointments and betrayals, PNC supporters, by-and-large, stuck with the PNC for a long time. Now, more and more – particularly younger Afro-Guyanese persons – have had enough. They have decided that the ONE GUYANA platform is a more sensible and progressive platform, where they and their country can shine.