| Blood money does not facilitate lasting development and buy dignity |
| Friday, 20 August 2010 | |
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By Dr. David Hinds It pains me to write this statement since it announces a parting of political company with persons who I love and respect. But there is a time when principle and honor must take precedence. Buxton gave me my first breath and nurtured my sense of duty and pride. So I owe it the staunchest defense in the face of the recent political charade that is presented as “outreach,” “healing,” “change” and “reaching out.” I do not control anybody in Buxton or claim leadership status, but given my history of activism in the village and nationally, some Buxtonions look to me for political example. Everyone has a right to choose their political friends and allies but to do so in the name of a community without its approval is an unforgivable act that deserves the strongest and widest condemnation. It is my view that over the last eighteen years African Guyanese have been systematically stripped of their dignity both from without and within to the point where we are almost soul-less and powerless in Guyana. We have become mercenaries and beggars. We have all but surrendered our right to resist and claim our share of the national cake. If we do not stop this rot now, there will be no free tomorrow for our children. We have to have what David Granger calls a “second emancipation.” And it has to start by regaining our pride and dignity. It is with this in mind that I take a dim view of the growing acomodationist attitude being promoted by some African Guyanese leaders and encouraged by the government and the ruling party. The latter senses our vulnerability and is intent on exploiting it. We are willingly presenting ourselves to be conquered in the name of cooperation. But there are fundamental differences between reaching out and groveling, between requesting what is yours and begging. Ultimately a people and its culture will survive and overcome by the quality of their dignity and by standing erect even in the face of perils. This is one of the truest tests of dignity. If you compromise your dignity you have little left of yourself to pass on to the next generation. When I heard that some Buxtonions wanted to return to our village to celebrate the anniversary of Emancipation in 2010 I was excited. The idea was first mooted by Mr. Nigel Miller who resides in the USA. Although I was not a member of either of the two committees which spearheaded the activities in Buxton to mark the 170th and 172nd anniversaries of the purchases of that historic village and the formal end to slavery respectively, I offered my services to the groups. I supported the thrust of both groups even if I identified more with the one headed by Mr. Mboya Wood, my longtime brother-comrade and friend, and Ms. Lorna Campbell in New York and Dr. Barbara Thomas-Holder in Buxton. Mr. Wood and Ms. Campbell kept me abreast of the planning and sometimes sought my input. When my view was sought on the involvement of Mr. Odinga Lumumba in the activities, I said I had no objections—after all he is a Buxtonion. I was however wary of too much government involvement. I was asked to give the keynote address at the opening ceremony on July 24 and to moderate a symposium a few days later. The Minister of Culture was slated to speak at the opening ceremony but he did not show up. There was heavy security at the event which suggested that the President or the Prime Minister, both of whom were invited, was expected. Neither of them showed up. The media, including the Chronicle, were there. A Chronicle reporter spoke to me and took my biographical information. While all the other media carried reports on the event, to date the Chronicle has carried not a single word. At the symposium I called on the organizers to turn down an invitation by the president to a reception at State House as I was certain that it was a political trap. I felt and still feel that we should steer clear of partisan political involvement and should not offer comfort to any political side. For this I was roundly criticized by a leading member of the committee who viewed my call as unhelpful to the cause of development in Buxton and suggested that since I live overseas I did not have to face the realities of living with the present government. It was the first time I was ever told to my face that I had no business expressing a view about Buxton because I do not reside there. Needless to say I was amused as the member herself does not reside in the village. But it was the first sign that my presence was problematic for some of the organizers.--I was too political. That same evening I reluctantly attended a “ball” at the Georgetown Club which was also attended by the Prime Minister and four Government Ministers. The only two speakers at the event were the Prime Minister and Mr. Odinga Lumumba. There were two things wrong with the event. First, why hold a Buxton Emancipation Ball at the Georgetown Club at a cost way out of reach of most Buxtonians. Second, why have a Buxton event where Government officials were the centre of attention? Suffice to say the event was attended mostly by the overseas based Buxtonians. I sensed that something was going wrong but in the interest of harmony I held my peace. My fears were confirmed when the time for an education forum on August 5th was hurriedly changed. I later learned that this was done to accommodate those who were going to the President’s reception. I was stunned by the report in the press the next day showing a happy bunch of Buxtonians at State House and quoting them as being “humbled” to be there. I was ashamed and enraged that my people could be so easily fooled and bought. It brought back images of the slaves dressing up and performing for the Massa – back then they were coerced; now they willingly present themselves. I thought of the slave traders delivering their own people into slavery. This is not the Buxton of the 1840 purchase of the “Promise Land,” of Nana Culley and Dan Cunchin of Fredericks’ Buxton Scholarship, of the Buxtonians who stopped the train, of Eusi Kwayana, ASCRIA and the First of August Movement. I made some mild criticisms on a Groundings TV program but waited to hear from the organizers before expanding. When we met they were unapologetic. My explanations of the possible political ramifications were met with mild acknowledgements. However, I promised Sister Yvette Herod that in the interest of unity, I would tone down my criticisms. But I left the meeting with the feeling that something dramatic was being planned. Soon reports reached me that some members of the committee were describing themselves as “liaison” to the President and that they were planning to take the President to Buxton. They did not want to publicize it for fear that there would be protests. The Education Forum referenced above heard gruesome tales of violence, hunger, poverty, illiteracy- the consequence of six years of the worst kind of terror. I was moved to point out that Buxton is in a post-war situation and that we should declare a state of emergency. Towards this end the forum discussed plans to immediately tackle the violence in the schools, hunger and illiteracy. We also planned an outreach to parents. Similar forums were held with farmers and businesspeople. It was agreed that a meeting should be held with the wider community to report and get more input and that a press conference should be called to report to the nation. To date neither has been held. Instead the teachers were slated to have a meeting at State House and President Jagdeo and other Government Ministers descended on the village on Wednesday. The Leaders of the Commemoration Committee were prominent. One of them called the President’s visit a “historic moment.” The President declared that government would fund the initiatives discussed at the education forum. None of these initiatives was been discussed with villagers as we agreed, but the President has pronounced on them as if they were government initiatives. As stated above I am not opposed to villages accessing government funding. But we must not ignore the political context when we relate to the government. Despite the President’s plea that he was not looking for votes, it is an open secret that the government is desperate to show it has the support of African Guyanese. It is one of the tactics to continue the resistance to share power with African Guyanese representatives. It is one of the tactics to secure a third term for President Jagdeo – he will argue he is the only PPP leader who can win African Guyanese votes. I am opposed to the President going to communities bearing gifts and the communities gravelling at his feet. This to my mind is what has happened in Buxton. What started out as a noble effort to reclaim the dignity of Buxton has ended up as an obscene political maneuver in which some leaders have mindlessly and perhaps innocently delivered the village to the political overlords. Perhaps Dr. Thomas-Holder is right in describing the President’s presence as historic – it is the first time that Buxton has been presented on a platter to be used as political props in a clear political game. That never happened under the PNC government to which Buxtonians had more ethno-political affinity. The sight of my colleagues grinning from ear to ear, of Buxton’s children forming a guard of horror while the President strides confidently as if he owns Buxton is nauseating. Although I fault the President for agreeing to this scheme—something that Mr. Burnham or Mr. Hoyte never did to Buxton-- it is the Buxtonions who used our commemoration as a platform to get in bed with the government that I am most disappointed at. My words must be harsh as the enormity of your transgression must be highlighted. It is an act of betrayal to surrender your people in an election year to the clutches of a party and government that have destroyed the democratic and multiracial hope of 1992 which your village was instrumental in bringing to fruition. You have betrayed African Guyanese for a few pieces of dirty coins. You have become the model not of a new emancipation but of a new accomodationism. You are teaching Buxtonions and Africans to be mindless beggars and weaklings. At a time when Indians, such as Freddy Kissoon, are in court for pointing out the racism against African Guyanese, for standing up for us, you are playing up to the accused. When Indians are saying how corrupt the government is you are welcoming it with African drums. When the international community is rebuking the government for its alleged role in the murder of young African men, you are dignifying it. When this government is accused of carrying blows to Indian dissenters you are taking your people into the unholy den. When African Guyanese are catching hell in Guyana, are being reduced to serfs, are being eye-passed you are strengthening one of the sources of their misery. You are dining and hosting a government that has refused to share power with your representatives. Mr. Jagdeo does not have to ask for votes, you are campaigning for him. You have lost your credibility and your way. You may get the millions promised but it will forever be stained with the blood of your betrayal. If you think a few million dollars will lift Buxton out of the depths you are living in a joker’s world. Blood money does not facilitate lasting development and buy dignity. I spent my early youth actively opposing the deliverance of Buxton to Congress Place—some of you were in the trenches with us. I spoke out against delivering our village to the gunmen of the recent past and now I oppose delivering it to Freedom House. Governments must govern fairly and communities must defend their right to self-determination. History will never be kind to those of you who slavishly delivered our ancestral house, however shaky it is, to be used as political prop. We have not learned from our mistakes. When some Buxtonions welcomed the gunmen in 2002 they did not know they were opening the floodgates to mayhem in and from their village. Eight years later the village is in tatters and the facilitators of the gunmen are nowhere to be seen. Now we are welcoming a new set of saviors. I predict the outcome will be of a different cloth but the same smell. Given the above I cannot continue my association with the group in Buxton. I cannot be party to their scheme. To them I say, as my colleague, Andaiye, famously said eight years ago—Not in my name. And I warn Buxtonions to stay away from this game, it is unhealthy. I can assure you that this is not my last word on this issue. David Hinds |
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