OP-ED  | African Guyanese must not Grovel: organise and seek consciousness 

By David Hinds 

I have decided not to make any comment on Guyanese party politics for at least two weeks after the illegitimate imposition of the PPP into government. Sometimes one must hang back and observe before moving. So, I ask readers to forgive me for not saying much in this column on what has transpired sine August 2. Fear not, I shall have a lot to say after my sabbatical. For now, I  will confine my comments to the state of African Guyanese as we prepare for another chapter in our persistent quest for equal rights, equal justice, and equal humanity.

As we observe this year’s emancipation anniversary we  do so with much anxiety about our future in Guyana. Some may ask, what is new? In that we are right, but we are also wrong. There is a lot that is new in 2020. Of course, on thing that is new is that in 2020 Guyana is poised to benefit from more national revenues than at any time in our country’s history. And that is a very big deal that has ethno-racial implications. Will African Guyanese benefit from those oil revenues in the same way as other Guyanese groups? Will we get our equal share?

That question to my mind would be answered largely by what happens at two levels. First, it would be answered by the policies pursued or not pursued by those who occupy the seat of government. In my humble opinion there is not much hope there for us. Nothing in in our politics since 1957 suggests otherwise. Those who tell us to wait and see what our competitor government would do are making fools of us. There is no incentive for a PPP government to treat the African Guyanese collective fairly—absolutely none.

The second level at which that question would be answered lies in what African Guyanese decide to do or not do. Will we grovel before our competitors and beg for a pittance  or will we organize and demand our fair share? During the last PPP government some African Guyanese individuals and groups chose the former. They did so from a position of fear that the PPP was invincible, and that the PNC would never get back into power. So, they groveled for a few pieces of silver. After all, they said, it was our money not theirs. So, if we crawl on our hands and knees for it, we are crawling for what is rightfully ours. I chose not to crawl or grovel, because if its ours, then we should not have to beg for it.

So, my message to African Guyanese today is—do not grovel. Stand up erect and demand what is yours. Start by organizing to resist the obvious designs and plans to put you in your place. Organize must be the watchword. Towards this end I call on African Guyanese to join or form some Black organization so that you can be part of a fellowship. This is not a struggle for individualism—it is a struggle for the collective.

Then when you organize, reach for a Black consciousness. Learn your history. Invoke your Black Pride. Say you are Black. Fight back with a new Black Consciousness—a consciousness that you are equal human beings endowed with the same rights as others. Without a consciousness of your heritage, you will be fighting without a vision.

Let me end with this. Your fight is not against Indian Guyanese or other Guyanese. It is a fight for Black empowerment and racial equality. We must not fight anti-Black racism with anti-Indian racism. There is nothing uplifting in that. The way you beat anti-Black racism is to tear down the pillars on which it stands. You also beat it by using Black Self-Love as a shield against the penetration of Black inferiority into your consciousness. More of Dr. Hinds’ writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com