VVP posted:.I don't disagree that Afro Guyanese see Indians as clannish and Indians see Africans as hostile.
However, when it comes to promotion of a white vs a non-white the white tend to get promotion first...that's my experience.
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This is why there is ethnic distrust in Guyana. This is why this distrust is probably higher in the professional circles than among the working class.
Africans fear that Indo clannishness means that an Indo boss, or an Indo dominated government will mean that they will be excluded, or marginalized. I remember seeing a company located in the G/T area where the manager was an Indian. In announcing almost 30 new hires fewer than 5 were non Indian. I wondered how in the G/T area such a low % of black new employees was possible.
I am not Indian so will not opine as to why Indians don't like/fear Afro leadership. I do know for a fact that this extends to NYC as I know of some Guyanese groups, led by Afro Guyanese, more specifically Afro Guyanese women, which have bent over backwards to attract Indians, and have failed. So they have given up. The few Indians who come along being the type who are derided here on GNI as "Cuffy lovers", "Congo Lovers". "neemakaram", etc.
Ethnic tension in Guyana is institutional, not social. While I can imagine some Indo and Afro neighbors might be initially suspicious of each other, normally over time they get on, and may even become friends. It is the perception that institutions dominated by one group cannot be fair to the other that leads to the problem. Institutions are almost always dominated by the upper echelons of a group.