Dear Editor,
In olağan circumstances, the Amendments to the Constitution of a Political Party or for that matter, any organisation, is nobody’s business but that of its members. However, in our circumstances when the political party exercising absolute and unbridled authority makes a change which indicates a paradigm shift in ideology and therefore policy and decisions, it is the business or if you wish the concern of every citizen.
At its large Party Congress, the PPP excised reference to Marxism and Leninism from its Constitution. To those of us who shared the sacrifices to gain Independence and therefore control of our destiny, this move constitutes a worrisome advent.
The founding Fathers of the PPP fought against imperialist dictation and the filthy fathomless features of colonial control and exploitation. Wittingly or unwittingly, we have witnessed the leadership of our Government doing and saying things which suggests that they have jettisoned and discarded the core principles and philosophical underpinnings of the Party led by the Jagans, Burnham, Sidney King (Eusi Kwayana), Joycelyn Hubbard, Ashton Chase and those early freedom fighters.
It appears that this shift in ideological outlook also suggests that the correct and honourable advocacy for socialist society and the rights and opportunities for the working class are now irrelevant. This is unfortunate, for to dilate on this important matter which affects all of us, will consume volumes.
A quick review will suffice for now. In the Mother Country at the beginning of the 20th century, the British Labour Party emerged out of the vibrancy and relevance of the Labour Movement and still proudly advanced socialist principles, which they have never abandoned. This stance helped them defeat Churchill’s conservative Party in July 1945, even at the closing stages of World War II.
In Guyana, the Labour Movement got its stimulus from the likes of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow based on socialist principles opposed to were directly opioid to the exploitative nature of capitalism. A capitalism which effectively enriches one section of society at the expense of the ordinary workers and this seems to be happening in our dilemma today.
This relationship seems to be happening quietly and skillfully in Guyana today. Re-define the circumstances that led Dr. Jagan to seek refuge in Marxism, and we will discover that there has been no substantial change in human relations. This discarding of Dr. Jagan’s ideological position is being led by the same people who erected large billboards proclaiming Dr. Jagan as Father of the Nation and also allowing billboards proclaiming the virtues of representatives of a traditional exploitative ideology. The absurdity is patent and the duty of the independent media is to show the absurdity of this, so that this generation can have the knowledge to lead a campaign to reverse this movement to revive a culture of exploitation by one group over another.
Examples are numerous. This suggests that we are now in the midst of cleverly reviving the old destructive haves and haves not relationship. For brevity, just a few examples. The Party in Office and many others, seemed afraid to talk about the working class and the relevance of socialist principles. These two terms are relegated to the back-burner.
Second, the core value of a working class socialist society is to provide the resources to provide every child in Guyana an equal opportunity to develop to his or her maximum potential. This means as was initiated in the 1980s, free quality education from kindergarten to University. We have the resources to make this a reality. We must therefore pity this Nation for this reversal , this debauchery evidenced by the horrible treatment of teachers who must go on the streets to demand a living wage, in a country with the fastest growing economy in the world. Believe it or Not!
Third, as we extract thousands of barrels of oil everyday, we fail to install metres or to put in place mechanisms to monitor and verify figures given to us by the developers. The same goes for the extraction of gold, diamonds, manganese , and other resources. Why these silly steps continue is beyond belief. Believe it or Not!
How can we, by way of example, explain why so-called intelligent men in charge of our ship of state must ensure to acquire metres and the appropriate accoutrement and allow us a purported sovereign nation to monitor daily the extraction of our oil. Everywhere intelligent leaders, business people and ordinary folks develop a mechanism to check what other people claim.
Next, in accordance with the principles of a living democracy, which sets out the four pillars upon which freedom and democracy rest, the Executive (b) the Parliament, (c) the Judiciary and (d) the fourth estate – that is the independent and responsible media. Here we have when the independent media seek answers to unmask the secrecy surrounding matters of public interest, it is deemed ‘gutter journalism,’ by the powers that be. When the Judiciary makes a judgement, in keeping with our laws and the interest of the people, Judges are assailed and shown disrespect. Believe it or Not!
Next, our Constitution. Our tradition requires that persons function as Heads of Department and in particular, Permanent Secretaries of Ministries be proceeded to be aloof politically and therefore not openly have membership of the political party, particularly so if that Party is in Office. Today, painfully I heard the PPP defending the open participation by Permanent Secretaries at the recently held Congress. The joke is and this must be a joke, this is the same Party that was critical and complained to international organisations that a previous administration was practising party paramountcy. How things change? Believe it or Not!
When it comes to recognizing the significance of our Independence in dealing with the use of our resources, recall that the two major parties found common ground when he came to the control of our patrimony as was the case of sugar, the PPP supported the PNC in what was termed critical support. This unity is necessary if we are to be true to our Independence and sovereignty.
I hope that this jettison of Marxism and Leninism principles is not ushering in the features of colonial exploitation and imperialist domination. A subtle and serious cancer that can consume this and succeeding generations.
To the PPP hierarchy, I dedicate this stanza for your cogitation of R.R. Madden’s poem – “Behold the peace that’s owned by him who feels
He does no wrong, or outrage when he deals
In human flesh; or yet supplies the gold
To stir the strife, whose victime you behold,” etc“
Yours truly,
Hamilton Green
Elder