Posted October 1st. 2002. - Special Feature by David Hinds

Buxton was Carefully Chosen

Mr. Walter Jordan has been offering a lot of advice to Eusi Kwayana, and, to a lesser extent, Andaiye and David Hinds. He is trying to be clever. But today I will burst his bubble.

There is a long standing tendency of sections of the African Guyanese elite to hide their deep seated prejudices and their immoral thirst for power and supremacy behind the excesses of the African Guyanese working class and other powerless people in that community. There are sections of the African Guyanese elite that have little respect for Indian Guyanese and would prefer that they be subjugated. But this group lacks the courage to admit what they believe. So they manipulate the frustrations and weaknesses of the African Guyanese poor to fight their racist battles for them. They then sit back, pretend that they are innocent, and justify the worst behaviors as righteous causes.

The African elite knows full well that when the Black poor behaves irresponsibly and partakes in fascist orgies, the end result is the further weakening of the Black condition. But they care not, for they have no healthy regard for the Black poor. For the Black elite, the Black masses are "African Bees" fit only to go out and sting Indian people for them.

What I am writing today may cause Mr. Walter Jordan to tell me in a much sterner voice to shut up. It may also confirm what others of the Black elite think of me-that I am an Afro Saxon- Indian defender-African Hater. But I am prepared to bear that cross because I am sick and tired of these Georgetown Big Shots" saying or implying that something is healthy about young Black men mowing down East Indians and other defenseless people. I am sick and tired of them glorifying Buxton as this revolutionary savior of Black people in Guyana.

There is a reason why its Buxton and not any of the rich Black communities is "spinning out of control," to quote Walter Jordan. There is a reason why it's the Black poor who are acting like barbarians and not the Black Elite. Will Mr. Jordan send any of his sons or grandsons to join the group in Buxton? Will he pick up an AK 47 and go and terrorize the Indians in Anandale? No!

But he wants the "Kwayana Trio" to shut up; we must not condemn the atrocities.

All of these people are now supporters of Buxton, but what do they know of Buxton? I know Buxton, Mr. Jordan, and I know Buxton deserves better that what your kind has turned it into. When Buxton was taking blows from Mr. Burnham's PNC, where were the Walter Jordans? Did they glorify Buxton when villagers stood up to Burnhamism with soul force? No, but they now glorify Buxton when the village is being used as a base for nasty things.

Walter Jordan has gone after Kwayana. He wants Kwayana to stop the madness in Buxton. Not the government or the PNC, but Kwayana. I know your game Mr. Jordan, and I am not allowing you get away with it. You know what is going on, but you pretend you don't know. Well I will tell the public.

Buxton was carefully chosen by sections of the Black political establishment to launch their bid to recapture governmental control of Guyana. This group stays in the background and sends some operatives into Buxton to poison the minds of enough Buxtonions with their anti-Indian-Black Power talk. They transported guns and criminals into the village as the vanguard of the Black army. They tell Buxtonions that they love Kwayana, but he is too soft. They then target Indians for attack. They tell Buxtonions that Indians are responsible for their plight and they give the young men guns. The Black Clothes then murdered Shaka Blair, and gave these "Freedom Fighters" the occasion to launch their war.

They chose Buxton because it is culturally the Blackest community in Guyana. But they chose Buxton for another reason-Eusi Kwayana. They know that some Indians will perceive any attack on Indians from Buxton as " Sydney King wuck." That then gives them the cover.

So when Mr. Jordan calls on Kwayana to stop what is happening in Buxton, he is keeping to the plot. Go in and poison the village then call on Kwayana to stop it. If he speaks out against the poison, paint him as anti-Buxton and anti-Black. Make what is happening in Buxton about Kwayana so as to deflect the responsibility from where it belongs. Since Buxton erupted last year not all the calls from all quarters for Kwayana to stop the eruption. Clever, but not so clever.

Kwayana is respected in Buxton, but he does not control Buxton politically. The PNC does. So Mr. Jordan, tell your party to bring Buxton under control. Yes, Mr. Jordan Buxton was the cradle of ASCRIA, but ASCRIA represented Black pride and dignity, not black barbarism. Yes, Mr. Jordan, Kwayana wrote the PNC's party song and in case you don't know he wrote the PPP and WPA party songs too. And yes, Mr. Jordan, despite your tasteless outpourings, history will show that Kwayana has earned more than your "some national acclaim," without him craving it. After all it was Kwayana, who when offered a national award by a Guyana government had no hesitation in turning it down.

There are many members of the Black elite who want Kwayana to shut up, because he is dirtying their game. Mr. Jordan does not want Kwayana to tell the world the truth about what they "perceive." He also does not want Kwayana's words of reason to influence change in Buxton. He talks about some group of leaders in Buxton trying to bring sanity, but does not see the link between Kwayana's pleadings and that development.

I am going to burst your bubble again Mr. Jordan. Your leaders in Buxton who are now vowing to chase out the criminals (I publicly applauded them for taking that stand) are the very people who provide cover for the atrocities. They changed their public stance because Kwayana went to the "hilltop." In any case Mr. Jordan you may not want the world to know that despite that public stance, all your Buxton leaders wanted to do was to expel the Indian criminal, Inspector Gadget.

Jordan says that Kwayana washed his hands of Buxton. Yes, he washed his hands of the current dirty Buxton, and he is right. And Jordan says Kwayana is "confused and frustrated." Why not? Anyone who is not confused and frustrated about what is happening in Buxton is part of the craziness? Where stand thou, Mr. Jordan?

And those mouthpieces on the Indian side are no different. They want Kwayana to condemn the violence against Indians, but when he answers Tom Dalgetty with reason rather than wrath they condemn him. They want him to call Dalgetty a dog. They congratulate Hinds and Andaiye for speaking out against black atrocities, but when Hinds says that Blacks are marginalized, they haul him over the clothes, call him a "scholar," and blame him for Black violence. At a certain level, these people don't mind what is happening in Buxton, for it satisfies their stereotype of Black people. Like the Black elite, they want Kwayana, Andaiye, and Hinds to shut up, because they want nothing healthy coming from the Black community. But more on this another time.

Dr Hinds is a University Lecturer and Political Commentator and Activist. He currently teaches Political Science at Glendale College and Mt San Antonio College in California. Please send your comments on this article to dhinds6106@aol.com. An archive of Dr Hinds' other writings can be found on his website-guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com.