“Waiting to exhale”, on unity

One may choose to question, or not question, President Granger’s noble proposal to engage in “unity” talks with the Opposition. Any such sincere intention can only benefit Guyanese. The Granger-led Government however, sends mixed signals which for some alludes to the contrary, that this Government has absolutely no intention of fostering any type of “unity” whether in ruling the country or among its citizens.

But before one could even speculate on this Government’s sincerity, and the possibility of uniting Guyanese, focus should be placed on the crumbling foundation of this “unity” pyramid.

National unity entails that a people rally in support of their country’s sovereignty, under one flag, in acknowledging a structure of governance that is cognizant of the will of all citizens while it acts in their best interest. But before national unity can ensue, there must be a nation, and not just a State, which in turn suggests that all Guyanese must share a common sentiment of national belonging, identifying to a common purpose, and gratified through their representation by the Government.

In Guyana, it is not yet quite the case as our society has suffered the vicissitudes of fissures which run deep in the psyches of the people and the successive Governments. We are still a nation-State in its embryonic phase.

Perhaps the primary reason for this comes from the socioeconomic classification of Guyanese based on ethnicity, practiced by colonial empire, which has transcended every generation, contributing to the accumulation of societal woes over the past forty nine years.

The fission of the PPP back in 1957 was the stamp that sealed the fate of Guyanese ethnic politics in the following years, which destroyed any possibility of each segment of the Guyanese population of enjoying the privileges of independence for more than two decades.

The ethnically discriminating policies practiced by the first PNC regime to rule the Independent Guyanese State did not cater for the needs and wellbeing of all Guyanese, and those who were excluded from the benefits of scope of preferential national policies did not identify to the nation, whether they chose to seek betterment in other lands or were constrained to remain in a land where the Government was not representative of its people.

Perhaps, if these wrongs were pardoned by the people, the fissures of ethnic divide would have had less impact on Guyanese today, and the process of “healing” as was so often mentioned during the coalition’s campaign trail, might have commenced. But forgiveness was never sought.

Then comes the plight of so many, if not all, emerging and developing country which, if we believe Wallerstein’s world systems theory, are still found on the periphery or are slowly gravitating towards newly emerging centres: the issue of foreign interference. The trouble here almost always consists in Governments pursuing national and international interests all in respect for the people they serve, which implies a great deal of resistance and seduction from foreign pressure.

But a Government has to consecrate its energies to fostering a healthy nation first if it should chose to pursue goals which would fail in a divided and misrepresented society. Insofar as the aforementioned three inconsistencies explain, talks on “national unity” for now are synonymous only of hopefulness.

Modern day Guyanese politics, though not as physically abrasive as what transpired between 1966 and 1992, are just as prejudicial to the notion of national unity. The process of “healing” if it ever began after 1992, was interrupted with the contradictory actions of this Government through a discriminatory employment policy in the public sector, the poor national security measures, the tightening of belts on social welfare benefits, the unfriendly private sector policies and the misrepresentation of race and gender in the public sphere. Guyanese from all socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities are affected. This would only worsen the societal divide, as social and economic frustration erupts. Indeed, Guyana awaits true national unity.