Interesting Factors affecting Election 2011

Michael  Vishnu Singh

There are certain factors that are affecting the dynamics of this election. I will look at a few. First there was a sugar strike last December. Many people on the Corentyne were privately quite shocked at how the workers were treated.

 I saw an incident where a group of people were talking about the upcoming elections. One young man whom I expected to be a strong PPP supporter (he mixed easily with the regional councilors) said that he felt that the PPP could lose votes over the strike. An older man in his fifties angrily shouted down this young man saying, “You don’t know Indians, they will vote PPP”. This was ironic as the older man was mixed though he identified with Indians through his Indian wife. The young man was fully Indian. All this was before APNU and Moses Nagamootoo leaving the PPP.

The poor attendance at PPP meetings is shocking. I have just heard that a meeting in no.64 some days ago was a dismal failure. Since the 1950s this area has been a PPP stronghold. The same person who shouted down the young man later told me that people in Enmore—another PPP stronghold were not pleased with the way the President’s ex-wife was treated. Again this is not an election issue but it is something that goes against the grain of traditional values in the society.

There is the story of a minister pulling a gun on a person in a restaurant because he felt he was insulted. This incident was told to me by a strong supporter who felt unease. He saw the incident.

Sharma being a part of the APNU grouping is another interesting factor. Lots of PPP supporters watch Sharma’s TV station. Many don’t take him seriously. Now, however, he is associated with a powerful force. I think he can deliver between five to eight thousand votes. Many see him as a victim of state power. When the President says Sharma came crying and begging him to lessen the penalty the general public sees this as humiliating the person who stands up for them.

Moses Nagamootoo leaving the PPP is a major factor. Without campaigning Moses received the fifth highest votes at the PPP last congress. He has consistently performed well in PPP congress elections. Moses is a well known, articulate campaigner for the PPP. When he speaks out now he can inflict major damage on the PPP in regions 3, 5 and 6.It will be interesting to see if a significant number of PPP voters go for the AFC. The PPP has spent a lot of energy attacking the AFC. They seem to be at each other’s throats. Meanwhile APNU focuses on the vision of a new Guyana.

Many people see the white elephant Skeldon factory as a scam. They feel that people made huge sums at the expense of the ordinary person. They feel robbed and cheated. It is a feeling. Either the government was fooled or they were in on the scam.

Finally the release of US views on the situation just before the 2006 election through Wiki leaks has fed disturbing thoughts through the society. It has brought to the fore the shadowy situation that exists between the current Police Chief and the ruling elite. Moses Nagamootoo’s account of how he urged the administration to deal with the situation adds more uneasy thoughts to many supporters.

People do not vote on the intellect alone. All salesmen know this. We like to give reasons why we buy something but often these reasons are just a justification for an emotional decision. Voters in the PPP strongholds are not as comfortable as they usually are. APNU has the magnetic power to pull people over to them. They can sell the vision of a new, dynamic, prosperous Guyana.