The Contradictions of Inter-racial Relations in Guyana

Dear Editor
It is an indisputable fact that at the individual level, people of Indian and African descent genuinely love and appreciate each other. This is not only a modern-day occurrence but a fact which existed a very long time ago. I am in my 60s and of mixed race. My paternal grandmother was of Indian origin. I believe that there are hundreds of others of my age who are like me.

In the 2012 population census, people of mixed race were found to comprise 19.9 % of the population. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the mixed population from 1980 to 2012 has doubled. Analysis of the census data shows that there is a constant increase of the mixed population, while in the case of Indians and Africans there is a decrease. The positive trend of the mixed population is obviously due to increases in inter-racial marriages and inter-racial relationships, which are very common today. It is therefore very likely that mixed people today would account for well over 20% of the population. This is a significant number in all spheres of human endeavour.

But it is not only romantic relationships which exist between individuals of the two major races. There are also genuine friendships and camaraderie, as is evident among children at school, people at the work place, in the market place, in clubs and other social organisations, in the villages, the police force, even in criminal gangs – indeed in all spheres of life. But our elections bring a different dynamic to the fore, which fractures the society and causes deep rifts, even between husbands and wives.

This is not to say that only at elections time racism raises its ugly head. However, at other times, racial problems are inconsequential. The big question therefore is, if very good inter-racial relations exist at the personal level, why isn’t this replicated at the group or community level?

Editor, both Africans and Indians harbour the outlandish belief that being in control of the Executive arm of government is their birthight. And this intensifies the inter-racial rivalry at elections time, and sometimes causes raw emotions to boil over. Hence, the strife we see at elections time is inevitable.

I have lived through the disturbances of the early 1960s as a child, and I don’t think that anyone who experienced those atrocities would like to go through that again. Yet, almost 60 years after the most violent racial confrontations took place, successive governments have failed to effectively address the racial problem in our country. Once in government, our leaders, with their misplaced priorities, and perhaps their heads in the sand, treat racism as an afterthought. It is disappointing also that influential people in the society have failed to pressure our governments to implement the necessary reforms.

Why were we so concerned then that it took five months for the results of the 2020 elections to be declared? Lest we forget, it must be emphasised that racism is an age-old problem in Guyana, which would not go away. Like COVID-19, racism is real, unless we manage it carefully, it will consume us.

Editor, little children must be the most colour-blind people in any society. The obvious place then to start to effectively address racism in our country is in our schools – from the nursery level. But this obviously is a long-term plan. Since our politics is inextricably linked to race, decisive action is required now to remedy the imbalance in the current system of governance, which is out of date and must be overhauled to be in step with present-day realities. Do we have to be told that we are at that juncture in our history where neither Africans nor Indians desire or intend to be governed by the other? Our fiercely contested elections which produce results which are split virtually down the middle are screaming at us to remedy the imbalance sooner rather than later. The current political situation is so bad that at the local government level, would you believe that elected officials who do not support the party in government, prefer to cut their nose to spite their face, when it comes to the development of their own communities.

As we can see, fifty-four years after gaining political Independence, our people have not yet attained the level of maturity required to play by the rules which apply to the current system of governance. So we have no choice but to overhaul it in order to preserve our nation. The ball is in our political leaders’ court.

Yours sincerely,
Winston Richards