Gauging the mood
By Robert Persaud
Guyana Chronicle
April 25, 2004
READ and watch only certain newspapers and television "news" outfits and you would believe that Guyana is at a standstill and the population in a state of despair. But stop reading and watching those media outlets, and also paying attention to the talk show hosts and "commentators" on HBTV, VCT and CNS 6 and then the real picture of Guyana appears, brightly. The past months have seen a sustained effort by the Opposition and their sympathisers, in sections of the media, to create a mood of despair, gloom and negativity.
THE CAMPAIGN
The objective of the gloom and doom campaign is to instill a sense of hopelessness in the minds of the people in their country. Persons are being encouraged to see every trial and challenge in their communities and homes as the making of a "wicked force" called the PPP/C Government. In subtle and not so subtle ways, so-called newscasts and commentators infer that the cause(s) of all predicaments - an increase in the world price for fuel and bad weather - is the making of the Government. The crime wave of 2002/2003 was deliberately used to attack the government and violate democracy by the seeming PNCR-ROAR anti-PPP alliance. The PNCR encouraged the criminal campaign, while ROAR and its outfit - GIHA - and certain media outfits used the opening created to attack the PPP/C for "not protecting Indians."
The campaign seems to have an end game: the removal of the government. The extremist lunatic fringe has been bellowing an impending `civil war,' describing Guyana as a `failed state' and the economy as being in a state of `coma.' At the same time, they indirectly, advocate the forcible removal of the democratically elected government. These players showed their hands when they presented a most ludicrous plan to replace the current administration. That did not work!
The government has stuck to its mandate of improving Guyana for all. People are seeing through this game. The opposition is running out of any significant issue to question the administration's commitment to the people. While the PPP/C has some shortcomings, there are very few areas where people can legitimately point to instances of bad policy and uncaring approaches to people's issues.
The current campaign by the PNCR and its allies to question the government's commitment to law and order is another invention to instill in people reservations about the future progress of this nation. Having failed with its phantom charges of discrimination and marginalisation, the campaign now is to portray the government as being violators of the laws of Guyana. And again, this too is not working.
FIGHT BACK
People are less and lesser becoming influenced or polluted by this negativity campaign. The authors of this failed effort are soon to reach a point of diminishing return. What people read, see and hear on some of these outfits do not gel with the reality they live and experience everyday. Citizens are not too impressed with the gimmicks and antics intended to create an atmosphere of distrust and negative feelings. They are themselves fighting off the doom and gloom campaign in many ways.
The current protest action by the PNCR is attracting very few people. Even PNCR supporters are not buying into the negative campaign. ROAR, CNS 6 and other cheerleaders of the PNCR have no political bases of their own and append themselves to the PNCR shirttail. The instigation by the talk show hosts and company seems to be ineffective, so far.
People are most concerned with issues that will impact on their lives, positively. They are not too interested in the politics of protest and confrontation. They want their problems to be resolved and to live in peace and security.
Recently, the President and his ministers have embarked on a renewed and aggressive campaign to reach out to the population at large. These meetings have visited areas, which have traditionally supported the ruling party and the main opposition party. Citizens turned out in very large numbers at these meetings, as reflected in the media.
The outreach saw residents who were upbeat about their country and local development. They were interested in better water supply, roads, and telephone service. In some communities, people were urging the President and his ministers to ignore the campaign of doom and gloom. They reassured the President of their continued support whether it was in Georgetown, Bartica, Cotton Tree, Lichfield, Ithaca or Shield's Town.
The mood in the towns and villages is very upbeat. Those spreading the doom and gloom fever are poorly gauging the mood of the population. It is time they wake up and smell the coffee.