The Split of Guyana's Pre-Independence PPP and the Emergence of Racial Polarization

Perhaps the most crucial development in Guyana during the 1950s was the emergence of racial competition as a decisive factor in the country's politics. Because this development is inextricably linked to the leadership struggles within the PPP, the two issues are best discussed together. The PPP won a multi-racial mandate at the 1953 election primarily because its leadership reflected the racial diversity of the populace. However, this multiracial coalition was at best tenuous since the top leadership position was in dispute. Both Jagan (the legislative leader) and Burnham (the party chairman) laid claim to this position.

Before the 1953 elections, Burnham unsuccessfully challenged Jagan for the leadership of the party. However, his attempt was thwarted by Kwayana, who before a largely African audience in Georgetown, successfully defended Jagan as leader . But according to Kwayana (1992:6), during the election campaign some Indian supporters of the party expressed their unhappiness at the large number of African candidates on the slate, and some African supporters questioned the role of African leaders. Kwayana (1992:7) sees this as "the perils of a hastily built party, resting on a hastily built unity and entering the race for office in an ethnically competitive situation."

Shortly after the election victory, Burnham made another bid for the leadership of the party (this time the title would be "prime minister"). His battle cry was "leader or nothing." The challenge ominously had a more open racial tone than the previous one. According to Kwayana (1992:7) "Despite the unity which won the victory for the PPP, groups of very vocal people began to make the post a point of ethnic competition....The spit press openly raised the race issue and with it the possibility of Indian control and takeover." Although Burnham's bid failed again mainly because the African leaders in the party stood by Jagan, irreparable damage was already done. Race emerged as the common denominator in Guyanese politics. In 1955 Burnham made yet another bid for the leadership. Using his position as chairman, he called a congress in Georgetown, where most of his supporters resided. The congress which was boycotted by Jagan and his supporters elected Burnham as leader. The Jaganites insisted that Burnham's move was unconstitutional and walked out of the congress. The party, therefore, was split into two factions; one led by Burnham and the other by Jagan .

There have been two reasons advanced for the split--race and ideology. It was widely thought that Burnham was not a communist; rather, he was more of a moderate Fabian socialist. When one takes into consideration that the influential African leaders who were all Marxists--Kwayana, Carter, Benn, Chase, Westmaas--stayed in the Jagan camp and the Indian moderates--Latchmansingh and Jai Narine Singh--went with Burnham, then the ideological explanation of the split seems more plausible. However, most of the African rank and file members especially in Georgetown followed Burnham while the bulk of Indians remained with Jagan in spite of the defection from their ranks of Latchmansingh and Jai Narine Singh. The divide at the mass level, therefore, had much to do with race and less with ideology. Burnham, nevertheless, explains the split in ideological terms in the course of describing his new party:

At this point it is perhaps essential to reiterate what has been stated in the past, that ours is not a communist party, nor is the party affiliated to any communist organization outside or inside the country. This does not mean that this party is prepared to launch a witch-hunt against persons who call themselves communist or are in fact communist. What it does not mean is that we will not and cannot permit persons who consider an international reputation for being communist more important than the success of our struggle to thereby slow up our movement and weaken it (Spinner 1984:63-64).

Jagan (1972:175) viewed the split in both racial and ideological terms, but seemed to think that it was more ideological, seeing the apparent racial split as urban-rural. Kwayana (1988:6) thinks that the split was "brought about by competition for leadership with undertones of racial choice, ideology, tactics and such considerations."

The final blow to a racially united independence movement came in 1956/57 when the African leaders in Jagan's PPP--Kwayana, Carter, Jeffrey, and Westmaas--left the party. Jagan (1971) says it was an ultra left split, but Despres (1967: 217-219) contends that there were also racial overtones as these leaders took exception to Jagan's decision not to have Guyana join the West Indian Federation. According to Jagan, Indians were unwilling to be part of a Federation in which they would have become a minority (Desperes p. 219). Kwayana also cited the increased influence of the Indian middle-class in the party, as a major reason for his leaving (Kwayana 1996).

References

Despres, L. A. (1967). Cultural Pluralism and the Nationalist Politics in British Guyana. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co.

Jagan, Cheddi. (1972). The West on Trial. Berlin: Seven Seas Publishers

Kwayana, Eusi (1992). "Guyana Race Problems and My Part in Them" The Rodneyite, 2 (August), pp 1-7.

Spinner, Jr. Thomas, J. (1984). A Political and Social History of Guyana, 1945-1983. Boulder: Westview Press.