Dangerous race tactics by UNC

THE EDITOR: The United National Congress (UNC) seems prepared to do and say anything to get back into office. At the party’s Monday Night Forum in Debe, some distasteful race card tactics were boldly in the public’s face.

A former officer of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) mounted a UNC platform. The optics of him being of African descent and allegedly being advised by a prime minister and national security minister, also of African descent, to fire people of East Indian descent working in the SSA may have been aimed at creating a race narrative against the People’s National Movement (PNM).

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was on point with a press conference immediately to refute the statements and set the record straight. This was done in the national interest as moves are being made to create a new and improved society which requires every creed and race to continue to have an equal place.

This move by Kamla Persad-Bissessar to allow this narrative on the UNC platform was irresponsible, especially since her own speech would have echoed some of the former director’s statements.

The attempt to create a racial divide is not new to the UNC as it is deliberately targeting young voters of African descent along the east-west corridor. Which was the same strategy Cambridge Analytica identified when working with the UNC during the 2010 election campaign, according to the recent Netflix documentary The Great Hack.

The UNC campaign has moved from Cambridge Analytica’s “Do So” campaign in 2010 to a “One Corridor” movement in 2020 with the same target group. Nothing is wrong with campaigning and a level of political picong but no party should seek to use race to divide and manipulate citizens in such a dangerously combative way.

The PNM’s constitution states the party is a rally call for all, cutting across race, religion, class and creed so naturally the party attracts members from diverse backgrounds.

This is a reflection of the national community and therefore the PNM never has cause to try using the race card to divide and manipulate Africans, East Indians or any other races. The true consciousness is to create opportunities for all people and unite a nation.

Seeking to divide and manipulate people based on race and other physical or even religious characteristics for the purpose of winning an election can result in problems that we may not be able to solve after the election.

Some people become blind to the means of achieving their goals when they crave something. The upcoming election may have caused the UNC to become numb to the wider national consequences of its actions. These race tactics can only be meant to divide rather than unite a nation. Let good sense prevail.

RONALD HUGGINS

St Joseph

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"Dangerous race tactics by UNC"

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