Marxism-Leninism is a failed ideology

Dear Editor, I refer to the letter by Mr Hydar Ally published in the Stabroek News of January 25 in which he appears to reaffirm the Marist-Leninist ideology of the PPP, and invokes President Cheddi Jagan’s idea that this ideology guides the PPP in respect of the poor, democracy and a humane society.

Mr Ally should name the poor who acquired shares from the privatisation of state assets under the PPP/C. I can name the new owners and beneficiaries of the privatised assets, but cannot identify the poor. Further, Guyana’s poor are represented in Parliament. Can he name the poor who own shares in the Berbice River Bridge or the Marriott Hotel, and which of Guyana’s poor live in the socalled Pradoville One and Two housing areas?

Why is it that PPP government officials were able to travel abroad on the poor’s tax dollars, for medical treatment, while other Guyanese had to seek treatment in the deficient medical facilities in Guyana?

One is therefore never surprised that terms like “the poor” and “the will of the people”, are used as the first and last lines of defence in support of spurious claims, including in the brutal, autocratic, and undemocratic Marxist-Leninist regimes.

Mr Ally’s reference to President Cheddi Jagan’s 1993 declaration is instructive: “The People’s Progressive Party to which I belong is historically a party of the working people and the poor, guided by the principles of Marxism-Leninism and with the aim of building a democratic and humane society with a multiparty parliamentary system.”

If this is the position of the PPP today then the PPP is inflexible. Unfortunately for Mr Ally there is no evidence that Marxism-Leninism, practised in Guyana or anywhere in the world, favoured the poor or delivered a democratic and humane society. He might reexamine North Korea, or produce evidence of flourishing Marxist-Leninist countries or cultures. It was greater freedoms, private enterprise, free trade, etc, that delivered prosperity and a more humane outlook to China in the past 35 years, not Mao Zedong’s Marxism-Leninism. The same is true of Russia post Lenin and Stalin. Note that this is a similar ideology which Presidents Chávez and Maduro espoused in Venezuela, Guyana’s neighbour. The result is that they have destroyed the country.

People like Mr Ally remain stubborn in the face of the evidence. Fortunately for Guyana, he and his Marxist-Leninist party are the opposition and hopefully the poor will keep them there until they abandon this failed ideology. Yours faithfully, Ivor Carryl