Editorial
Stabroek News
April 16, 2001

There will be great relief at the steps being taken towards dialogue between President Bharrat Jagdeo and leader of the PNC REFORM, Mr Desmond Hoyte. As was reported in yesterday's Sunday Stabroek, the representatives of the two, Reepu Daman Persaud and Oscar Clarke are scheduled to meet tomorrow to lay the foundations for the meeting between the leaders.

Those who are genuinely interested in the two parties grappling with the differences and the grievances that exist will see the meetings of the two emissaries and their leaders as a hopeful sign that mature dialogue will replace the dangerous unreasonableness that has been evident in the fires, beatings and blockades. These talks will not be an overnight success and neither should they be advertised as such. They must be given a chance to work. More importantly, the talks will not have much of a chance in an atmosphere of hooliganism, arson and intimidation. The dialogue and the engagement between the two sides must proceed in a climate of peace and calm that is conducive to mature statesmanship.

Those who have recklessly and criminally sought to impose their will on society through a spate of fires must desist from these actions. Terrorism by arson will only further set back the country and not advance any sensible goal.

In light of the enormous tension built up in the period following March 19 and the unrest that followed, both the PPP/C and the PNC/R must signal to their followers - 95% of the electorate - that they are serious about dialogue and they completely reject any strategy that engenders violence. What is needed are confidence-building measures between the two main parties. Either on their own or with the assistance of the churches or other sections of civil society, there should be joint meetings of the two parties to plead for peace and calm at which their top leaders will appear. This will help to begin reassuring the populace that institutional answers will be found to the problems that exist and that as bitter as the rhetoric has been between the two parties they can still sit around a table and speak rationally. It will also send a signal to those pyromaniacs in our midst that their kind of terror has no place in our democratic framework.

There is also need for healing on the east coast and other similarly besieged communities. What had its genesis in a complete misapprehension by Buxton villagers of the work of elections workers degenerated into a pernicious siege of people living in villages across the east coast, the erection of dangerous, burning blockades, highway robbery and brigandry and the interruption of the smooth flow of traffic on the West Coast of Berbice. The password for travel in this area for many Indo-Guyanese became the word `REFORM' as in PNC REFORM. Many others had to rely for safe conduct on the presence of an Afro-Guyanese or some other person of presumed standing with REFORM. This is totally unacceptable. No one should be subjugated in this manner in any part of the country to the will of others.

Joint visits to these villages should be made by representatives of the PPP/C and the PNC/R to help restore relations between the residents of the affected areas to normalcy.

The continuing venom and hatred that is being spewed on NBTV Channel Nine has to be brought to an end. Since the agitation on this channel is in favour of the PNC/R it should play a leading role in bringing a halt to it. Other politically-oriented channels should devote themselves to helping to nourish peace and calm.

As part of improving the atmosphere between the two parties and by extension, their supporters, the PPP/C and the PNC/R should send their public relations units on a vacation to spare the public the continuing torrents of strident rhetoric which just further poisons the climate and influences no one but those who are already converted.

There is much goodwill for the dialogue that is about to get underway. Every thinking person knows that it is the only way forward. A few unreasonable persons with matches in their hands, gasolene in their buckets and hatred in their hearts must not be allowed to derail this process. All thinking people must be at the ready to condemn these purveyors of hatred, ostracize them and let the law take its course.