The politics of apology
What Guyana can learn from the IRA
By John Mair in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Stabroek News
July 20, 2002
Political movements apologising for past actions may be an oxymoron in Guyana but in Northern Ireland, another fractured society, it has become a reality this week. Raphael Trotman, who has been here in the past to observe the peace process, must have had a wry smile on his face when he heard of the Irish Republican Army's 'Apology' issued on Tuesday.
It came as a shock and is couched in language from which Guyana might learn.
"While it was not our intention to injure or kill non-combatants, the reality is that on this and on a number of other occasions, that was the consequence of our actions.
It is therefore appropriate ... that we address all of the deaths and injuries of non-combatants caused by us.
We offer our sincere apologies and condolences to their families'.
This after a thirty year war of attrition against the Protestant Unionist Majority in the province, the police force and the might of the British Army. Million of pounds of property wantonly destroyed, whole communities turned into "no-go" areas, thousands of lives wasted. Yet, this all changed four years ago with The Good Friday Agreement between the warring sides and the British and (Southern) Irish governments. Peace broke out. You can see the dividends in prosperity blooming everywhere. Now the political arm of the IRA, Sinn Fein, is in a shared devolved government and has two ministers in the Cabinet. Their Army is laying down its weapons at long last full of seeming remorse:
"There have been fatalities amongst combatants on all sides.
We also acknowledge the grief and pain of their relatives.
The future will not be found in denying collective failures and mistakes or closing minds and hearts to the plight of those who have been hurt.
That includes all of the victims of the conflict, combatants and non-combatants.
It will not be achieved by creating a hierarchy of victims in which some are deemed more or less worthy than others.
The process of conflict resolution requires the equal acknowledgement of the grief and loss of others."
The man put up to defend the apology this week has been Education Minister Martin McGuinness. He is reputed to be the Deputy Chief of Staff of the IRA and has publicly admitted to once having been the commander of the 'Army' in Londonderry.
His Guyanese counterpart, Raphael Trotman, of the PNC leadership but not the Burnham years, attempted last year to 'apologise' for some of the excesses of that regime. He was quickly and firmly dumped on by the Old Guard. Now he has attempted to contextualise and deal rationally with responsibility for the violent events at the Office of the President and Regent Street on July 3rd. Raphael saw their genesis clearly. Once again there is the loud sound of dumping and secret votes of no confidence. Compare to Northern Ireland:
"The IRA is committed unequivocally to the search for freedom, justice and peace in Ireland. We remain totally committed to the peace process and to dealing with the challenges and difficulties which this presents.
This includes the acceptance of past mistakes and of the hurt and pain we have caused to others."
In Northern Ireland, political maturity came from confidence in peace not war and the ability to say sorry. This 'apology' has shocked many people here. Some victims of IRA terror have refused to accept it. Others say it is just a cynical ploy to keep the Ulster Peace process on track and the power-sharing executive in office. But, whatever the motives, the effect has been seismic.
Sorry is often the hardest word, but Guyana can learn from this divided and fractured society on how to make amends and how to learn to co-exist. If the IRA can 'apologise' then what's to stop the Guyanese warriors doing the same?