by Hon. MP Coretta McDonald
The economic disadvantages and poverty that African Guyanese and people of colour face today are a continued battle in Guyana. A direct result of anti-black racism and African marginalization are the ghettos and slums of some of the most impoverished communities in our country. They are a sad reminder of those who are being left behind and forgotten.
Taking the lead, the APNU Members of the National Assembly and other Party Members visited Tiger Bay a few weeks ago. We met with those Guyanese citizens and promised to launch a massive clean-up campaign following our visit.
Attempting to avoid embarrassment, the PPP’s Priya Manickchand then rushed into Tiger Bay to see how best she could save face after neglecting its residents for decades.
Her visit was reminiscent of modern imperialists who visit African countries with a camera in hand to push a narrative of poor, ‘deh-bad,’ hungry-belly Africans. As if that wasn’t enough, Priya posed, surrounded by a group of shirtless black and brown children, their impoverished state printed on their little seminude bodies.
With a wide smile plastered on her face, her tone-deafness was evident.
Unaware of the photo-op and propaganda charade they were being subjected to, those poor Tiger Bay residents welcomed this neocolonialist representative into their community. They welcomed someone who seeks to entrench an ideology of ethnic superiority cloaked as care and concern.
This is where their hypocrisy is exposed. Where was this same concern for the folks at Mocha? Where was this concern for little Adriana Younge?
This is nothing but convenient politicking and a photo-op campaign, attempting to fool the populace once more.
It was Bob Marley who penned the lyrics in his song “Get Up, Stand Up”: “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” The people of Tiger Bay see you, Priya. They see the hypocrite you are. They are not buying into the game you are playing and the pretense you are faking just to get their vote.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) ruled Guyana for 23 years, a period that ended with the May 2015 general election. They have now been back in power for the past five years with the oil purse in their hands. What stopped them from cleaning up Tiger Bay all this time? For over 28 years, Tiger Bay was forgotten by the PPP cabal. Why now? What took you so long to remember Tiger Bay?
It is public perception that Priya Manickchand will be the Presidential candidate for the PPP in 2030. The political gimmickry has started, and the poor are being used again as political pawns.
Rather than just cleaning the environment, government officials ought to provide real opportunities for the youth and implement programs that will transform lives, taking citizens from poverty to prosperity. Cleaning their environment is window dressing. They must address the real issues of the people of Tiger Bay.
Irfaan Ali should be ashamed to show his face in Tiger Bay!
So shameless is he that after subjugating those Guyanese all these years, he will now go with plastic smiles to lie to the residents of Tiger Bay, hoping they will believe he cares.
