Op-Ed | I do not want to say “I told you so”  but I told you so

By David Hinds

Many Guyanese opinion shapers, journalists, political leaders, and Social Media  bloggers are hypocritical, near-sighted, dishonest, and downright ignorant.

You respond uncritically to what is before you and do not extend your minds to critically grapple with the complexity of  socio–political phenomena.

On a normal day you refuse to contend with the idea and practice of race and racism. You proclaim that this 400-year scourge is the invention of politicians. You do not even admit that Guyana has a race problem that runs deep in our social and political veins.
During the five-months electoral impasse, a few of us warned that  that “democracy” which you allowed yourself to be consumed with had racial consequences. I boldly warned that if you  award a disputed election to one party, there will be racial consequences.
I called for the leaders to meet and agree to an inconclusive election and set up an Interim Power Sharing Government. You told me I was crazy and that I do not want elections.

When violence erupted on March 6 in West Berbice, you looked the other way. You silenced it . All you wanted was the election to end.

You all did not listen –you accused me of pushing race. You were too consumed with your ignorance to see the linkage I was making. You wanted democracy. You wanted a winner. You fell for the Mingo nonsense. You did not look down the road.
When the election was awarded to the PPP, you said thank God it is over– now let us move on.
You celebrated the fact that there was no post-election violence. Guyanese have matured, you said. David Hinds was wrong with his prediction of racial violence

And we moved on to today. Ethno-political violence has erupted. Lives are snuffed out. Police and Soldiers are on the street. Protestors are being shot at. People are being beaten and robbed.
You are now crying that race has taken over. You now discover that racial violence is real. You still blame the politicians. You are now calling for Granger and Alli to meet. You forgot that when David Hinds called for such a meeting before the declaration, you laughed at him.

From the judges, to the ABCE countries, to the CARICOM conspirators, to the OAS to the Commonwealth to the PPP to the “Small Parties”  to all of you who couldn’t see past your noses, you are responsible for the racial violence we see today. Own up to your responsibility.

One of them from St Vincent and the Grenadines tell us to “take your licks like a man.” Well we taking the real licks now, but he not there to take it with us.

I do not want to say “I told you so”  because lives are being lost. But the fact is I told you so.  But you were too hypocritical, near-sighted, dishonest, and downright ignorant to hear.

I wish you well. But you do not deserve it.