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MSA parties should strive for diversity

TO THE DAILY:

Kenneth T. Jones, in his letter ("Stop the racist bias," 4/3/96) regarding racism at the Daily, asks the question, "What makes you think we (United People's Coalition) are `not fit to lead the assembly?'" He then goes on to mention that perhaps the reason is that his party is comprised of candidates "who just happen to be non-white."

Stated in that manner, it seems that Jones is asserting that the race/ethnicity of UPC candidates was simply a peripheral detail; they only "happened" to be non-white, and their candidates should earn their votes based on the issues, not on race.

That would be a great situation, but what I saw during the campaign was completely different. Race, which was supposed to be a peripheral detail, certainly seemed to be more than that. On nearly every poster, UPC made a deliberate point to say that they were the only completely non-white party on the ballot.

By doing this, UPC is guilty of the racial exploitation that Jones speaks out against. I wish I had an adequate response to Jones' above query, but that requires knowledge of the party's platform.

I urge UPC to reconsider its methods before the next election and to concentrate on the issues rather than just the race of its candidates.

BRIAN H. MELDRUM