Posted July 5th. 2003. - Special Feature by David Hinds

Set up Truth Commission on Buxton

Many people have understandably pronounced the Buxton operation dead. After all, most of the lead men have either been killed or have fled Buxton and the army/police seem to be in charge. The media have turned their attention to other things. Except for Freddy Kissoon's series of articles, there appears to be little appetite to discuss the implications of the Buxton operation. After almost 17 months, "Buxton fatigue" is understandable.

Yet, for several reasons, the Buxton affair is no fluke. It is a direct product of the larger struggle for power and domination between the PPP and the PNC, and by extension the African and Indian Guyanese communities. The immediate roots are to be found not in the poverty that resides in Buxton or in the reckless police action against the youth in the village; these were used as cover for the larger project. The real roots of the operation lie in the war mode that has consumed Guyana since December 1997, a mode that is hospitable to extremist projects masquerading as freedom fighting and revolution. Buxton shows how racial insecurity coupled with zero-sum politics can lead to destabilization, anarchy and barbarism.

One big issue arising from the Buxton affair was the extent to which a large section of the African Guyanese community openly and silently supported the project at least part of the way. There are two lessons here. First, racial insecurity breeds toleration of and support for the worst forms of violence against the perceived enemy. This is a lesson for those Indians who wish to hold on to political power at the exclusion of Africans and for those Africans who wish for the same in the future. The second lesson relates directly to Africans. Is there not something wrong when a race of people with a long and proud history of righteous struggle reaches the point where it relies on criminal elements to lead its fight for freedom? I continue to believe that African Guyanese have lots of other options at their disposal to wage a just struggle for their rightful participation in national decision-making. The African Guyanese political leadership, partisan and non-partisan, must decide whether it wants real African Guyanese empowerment or not.

Another implication of the Buxton affair is the condition of the state in Guyana. Buxton shows that when the state cannot murder with impunity, it is immobilized. That the state had no answer to the Buxton project, points to a serious indictment of the country's security and political arrangements. That sections of the military arm of the State defied the government and refused to move against the Buxton project is a telling revelation of the impact of race and party politics on the ability of the state to function effectively. This has implications for the very survival of state.

I end with the following questions and recommendations. Have the large number of guns and other weapons been recovered from Buxton? If not, why not? What about the masterminds of the project? Have they been questioned by the authorities? What about the traumatized children in the village who were forced to routinely witness murder and rape for 17 months? Has the Georgetown-based Black elite not considered professional help for them? How about help for the young men and women with access to the guns in the village? Does the Black elite not know that these young people who were drugged with narcotics and race hate are still a threat to themselves and others?

None of the masterminds of the Buxton project belongs to Buxton, or care about Buxton and Buxtonians, or know anything about Buxton, yet they and their charges were given sanctuary in Buxton. Racial and partisan considerations aside, Buxtonians must still answer how an hitherto conscious village was so easily duped by a bunch of con artists.

Finally, contrary to popular belief the Buxton operation did not begin with the February 2002 jailbreak; it began in the aftermath of the 2001 election. And it did not end with the killing of six of the participants; the operation continues. It is criminal and dangerous for Guyana's future not to get down to the real reasons and the real people behind the Buxton operation. The correct thing to do at the moment is to set up a Truth Commission with parliamentary approval to get to the truth about Buxton. Such a commission headed by a respected CARICOM national should be given wide powers of investigation. Perhaps the Human Rights Association and other organizations can launch a public petition to push the authorities in this direction. In the meantime, the government must announce an amnesty for guns not only in Buxton but also in Indian communities heavily armed with illegal weapons.

David Hinds lectures in Caribbean and Africana Studies at Arizona State University in the USA. He is also a political and social commentator who has written extensively on Guyana and Caribbean politics. More of his writings can be found on his GuyanaCaribbeanPolitics.com website.