It did not take more than a week for Guyana to realise that the seizure of power by the PPP/C with the aid of local, regional, and hemispheric forces would have serious negative consequences for our country. Never before has Guyana witnessed the brazen dismantling of the government as we have seen these past two weeks. It is generally accepted than when a new government takes office that there would be a few personnel changes here and there, but the PPP has gone far beyond that. It has uprooted people from their jobs with scant respect for the loss of livelihoods. It is simply unconscionable.
When one takes into consideration cloud under which the party entered government, the situation becomes even more bizarre. It is now evident that they came to office with a clear plan—dismiss anyone and everyone who is known to or suspected of being a Coalition member or supporter. The committee which was set up to audit state agencies was a sham; the party already knew the persons it wanted to fire. And it has done so with the kind of spite and venom that is characteristic of the PPP. Those who have been around long enough would remember that party displayed a similar attitude when it returned to power in 1992. But this time around it has outdone itself.
Uprooting government personnel only to replace them with known party hacks is counterproductive to good governance and continuity in government. For the good of Guyana, this kind of action at the highest level of government must not be allowed to continue. To do so will lead to a normalisation of wrongdoing. No government should be allowed to use government to punish its rivals in such a callous manner. What is at stake is the very livelihood of citizens. The PPP is in effect saying is that the right to work must be denied to those who oppose that party. That brand of politics is a thing of the past and must remain there.
To date, we have not heard a word of condemnation from the diplomatic community or from CARICOM, the OAS, and the Commonwealth. There is also not a word from the local defenders of democracy. Including the media. To the contrary some local forces have applauded and justified the government’s action. There forces told us that they were in favor of the rule of law. Yet when the law is actually being raped and the human rights of Guyanese are being mauled, they are conveniently silent. Is it that for these people the rights of some are superior to those of others? We must remind them loud and clear that the rights of all Guyanese matter.
The diplomatic community, their regional and hemispheric counterparts and other partners must now take responsibility for what they have done. They have let loose a mad mob on Guyana. This mob knows no boundaries when it comes to overturning the country in search of the path to domination. The external forces were forewarned, but they did not listen. Now the deed is done Guyanese are left to fend off the marauders.
The supporters of the coalition kept the peace. But this noble act is interpreted by the PPP as a sign of weakness. Some PPP leaders have openly said that the supporters have abandoned the Coalition. This is the sort of sentiment that is spurring the government to act irresponsibly. This publication warns the PPP no cease its provocation. We continue to call on Guyanese on all sides of the political divide to keep the peace and not to allow themselves to be drawn into irresponsible action.
But having said that, the leadership of the Coalition cannot be cowards—they must fight back. They must defend their supporters. We note that there have only been a few murmurs from the Coalition even as their supporters are being fired and kicked around by the government. That is not good enough. It is time they read the riot act on the PPP. The right to protest is a constitutional right that must be used when government oversteps its boundaries. We hope the opposition takes heed.
