Is racism losing its potency?

Aug 10, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

One of the enduring struggles that the PPP has waged since its inception was and is for racial and working-class unity. Over the years it has had successes and setbacks. In 1953, the entire country was united.

The split in the party and the use of race to divide the people by the British and their local allies in 1955 was a setback. However, in the 1957 elections the PPP led by Cheddi Jagan won most of the African Guyanese votes.

It was in that period that the British Governor Sir Patrick Renison and his local allies, the Burnham-led group, (which became the PNC in October 1957), intensified their efforts at dividing the working people.

Just before leaving his post as Governor of British Guiana Sir Patrick Renison in a letter to Lennox-Boyd, Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated 10 March 1957 reported that he had succeeded in the task of building up opposition to Jagan’s PPP. He noted that Burnham, even though “cynical, superficial, unreliable, prejudiced and irrational was no longer unthinkable as a Chief Minister.”

Renison hailed his success of building opposition to the PPP and his making Burnham an alternative to Jagan as his success of the year. He however noted that the “dark edge” of the success “has largely been accomplished through racialism”.

In the years that followed (1957 to 1964) the British, joined by the CIA and the PNC intensified their racial agitations. They used the 1962 budget, known as the Kaldor’s Budget, (after Nicolas Kaldor the UN economist who advised the government) which was aimed at preparing the country for Independence and was highly praised by specialists, to begin race riots in the city.

The PPP fought tooth and nail to counter racism. Progress has been relatively slow up to 1992. Since then, we have seen much progress in forging national unity in our country. The PPP support in Afro and Amerindian communities grew steadily.

The reasons for these positive developments are many. First and foremost is the fact that the PPP, from Jagan to Jagdeo, has never made any concessions to racism. Our position has always been staunchly against racism. The PPP is on record as expelling persons who tried to stoke racism in our country. That was the real reason for the removal of Balwant Singh Rai and some of his followers.

Just after the party left office in 1964 Cheddi Jagan, clearly disappointed that the PNC had rejected its calls for a coalition government, charged PPP activists to work to build back racial unity in Guyana. In the Thunder of April 1965, he wrote “…We must work to achieve unity and social harmony. Racism is the greatest curse in our land…” He went on to say, “We have to win over the misguided workers in the urban areas and the Amerindian people. This is the only true and lasting solution to our problems.”

Well, it took a while, but the contours of that unity are taking shape. This could be seen by the composition of the crowds at PPP/C meetings and rallies, that there have been truly multi-racial crowds is unmistakable.

The racist propagandists of the APNU (PNC) and some of their supporters who are prominent in the press are becoming ineffective. This is because their talk of PPP discrimination does not correspond to the realities on the ground. Their propagandists like Henry Jeffery, Lincoln Lewis and David Hinds have lost much of their credibility and their naked racism is being exposed as never before.

Another reason that helped to blunt the racist propaganda is the fact that the return of the PNC to power in 2015 exposed them to the new generation, who were not around before 1992 and therefore had no knowledge of the PNC’s corruption, racism and anti-working-class positions, were able to see them more clearly. In the five years between 2015 and 2020 they again displayed a great level of incompetence, corruption and gross arrogance.

They never think about the welfare of our people or the image of our country.  Their main aim has always been to get rich quick and to perpetuate themselves in power by rigged elections. The shame that they brought to this nation in attempting to steal the 2020 elections while the whole world was watching was deeply felt by all patriotic citizens. We recall the words of Barbados’ late Prime Minister Owen Arthur, who was the head of an observer mission to those elections, when he said “it was the most transparent attempt to rig an election…”

Yes, the APNU/AFC regime brought great shame to our nation.

The leadership of the opposition wants power to rule the country like monarchs and to enrich themselves at the expense people and country. Recall the renting of a house (for a bond) for more than $12million per month.

Guyanese are now once again walking with their heads held high and rightly saying never again.

Former President Donald Ramotar

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