Dear Editor,
On February 16, 2024 the Forbes Burnham Foundation hosted its annual symposium in commemoration of the life and works of the Late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. The Feature Address on the topic: Guyana`s politics needs to be restarted from Ground-Zero: – Zero-Sum Politics, was amicably and non-adversarially delivered by Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, in his private capacity. In that address, he proffered the idea that Guyana`s politics should be rebuilt from Ground-Zero. Ground-Zero represents that period in the 50s when like-minded political aspirants sought to foster ethnic unity as a precondition for nation building, including the attainment of independence.
Hughes referenced the shenanigans that pervaded the society, following-on on the ‘ideological differences’ which led to the split of the PPP; shattered the effort of nation building; and resulted in the sustained anachronistic and adversarial politics, to the detriment of nation building.
He further contended that the nation has come full circle minus one (acceptance of the plural nature of the society), and that the ideological differences which were the causal factor of the split have dissipated, thus providing an opportunity for the forces to confront the ethnic issue, as they sought to do in the early 50s when they acknowledged the plurality of the society; assembled the ethnic groups under one umbrella; and established united leadership across the ethnic divide.
This he contended should result in the creation of an environment that could lend to the rebirth of the national movement and its pursuit of nationhood. He identified the issue of political contestation, adversarial politics and the focus on the struggle for power, after the split in 1955, as self- imposed obstacles to nation building, for which the various political forces should collectively take responsibility and move on from the re-emergent Ground–Zero, which has apparently re-emerged due to the convergence of the economic policies of the rival political forces. This, he contended, should be done in an effort to reengage the nationhood enterprise.
Unfortunately, rather than seeing this proposition as a moment for dialogue and rekindling the Ground-Zero moment, there are those who have sought to return to the shenanigans, which have kept us derailed, in their perpetuation of the politics of division, showmanship, righteousness, domination, political triumphalism, and the contention that the proposition to return to Ground-Zero is but another attempt, of those out of power, to access power.
That response will only continue to stymie the nationhood enterprise. And, in responding thus, the critics have limited the output of the symposium to a statement, on the floor, by Mr. Hamilton Greene, in which he contended that the current government epitomizes crass politicking, including blaming others for their deeds, including Apan Jaat and rigging. He sarcastically concluded that in the circumstance of being accused of rigging and given the crassness of the regime, then rigging may well be resorted to in an effort to save the country from what pertains (disregard for democracy and the lives of people).
The statement attributed to Greene was but a spec of his contribution from the floor; probably wrongly contextualized; given undue attention; and definitely, now being used to detract from the central thrust of the symposium: returning to Ground Zero in an effort to rekindle the nation building project.
Among those to jump on the bandwagon to derail the focus, and detract from the substance of the content, of the symposium`s main presentation was Tara Singh, who to his credit also embraced the idea of an “Ethnic Impact Statement” as a contribution to the needed discourse on the issue at hand, rather than the rabid subjective dismissal of others. An Ethnic Assessment Statement would provide data on the management and distribution of the nation`s patrimony across ethnic groups, and provide the basis for policies that can address ethnic inequities, and truly provide for restarting the nation building project from Ground-Zero.
The Burnham Foundation embraces the proposition of Mr. Hughes. We are saddened by those who see this as yet another moment for the perpetuation of partisan, anti-patriotic, anachronistic and anti-people politics.
Yours truly,
Vincent Alexander
Chairman
Burnham Foundation
