Orwellian eyes, Mephistophelean hands and fear

Dec 22, 2008 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

I did record on this page earlier this year that I tried my best to procure an interview with Peter Taylor, editor of the popular daily, “Evening Post” that crusaded against Premier Cheddi Jagan’s communist government in the sixties. For those too young to know what happened to him, there was an attempt on his life as part of the tit for tat between the PPP Government and the combined opposition from 1962 -1964.

Taylor miraculously survived but the eerie intention to kill opponents of government as part of the political culture of Guyana has continued since then. The victims include Dr. Josh Ramsammy, Ohene Koama, Walter Rodney and Ronald Waddell.

In the advanced stage of his life, Taylor became bed-ridden. Each time I appeared at the gate, the attendant nurse would tell me that he is resting. I didn’t know the day he was buried, even though his death was published in the newspapers. But without intention, I was driving past Christ Church on Carmichael Street and saw people leaving a funeral service.

I saw a manager of Fogarty’s store who knew Taylor well, so I figured, the service was for Taylor. Sadly, we have missed his account of the nature of the PPP in the sixties. And one wonders if his story will ever be told. But if we can travel back in time, get into the mind of people like Peter Taylor and Peter D’Aguiar, we can understand just what the nature of the PPP is. The one person who is alive to write about these gentlemen is Kit Nascimento; he doesn’t seem inclined.

The story of Taylor and D’Aguiar is one of fearlessness and courage. These were businessmen who were not afraid to risk their profits in the fight for democracy. The shockingly biased autobiography of Dr. Jagan, “The West on Trial”, paints the two Peters as anti-communist insurgents trying to topple his government.

The contrary facts are slowly coming out about the conspiracy of Dr. Jagan to impose his will on Guyana. Interestingly, the latest issue of the “Guyana Review” makes the claim that the origin of the PPP Government’s attack on David De Caires and the Stabroek News began with President Jagan in 1993 when he ordered selective withdrawal of state advertisements from the paper. President Jagdeo only continued what his mentor started.

Peter D’Aguiar and Dr Yesu Persaud remain the two outstanding investors in the entire English-speaking Caribbean who put their business entities at risk to fight for democracy. Persaud suffered terribly at the hands of President Desmond Hoyte. Hoyte’s hounding of Persaud remains a huge blot on his presidential tenure.

Dr. Persaud observed his 80th birthday last month and with his advanced age, there needs to be the emergence of another fearless figure like him and before him, Peter D’Aguiar, to come forward and continue the efforts to free this country from the phantasmagoria of fear that has enveloped it from the sixties onwards. That, sadly enough, doesn’t look like it will happen in the 21st century.

Fear paralyzes the business community in this country. I see it all around. No one points a gun at our capitalists but they know the Orwellian eyes are looking at them. They know the Mephistophelian hands are willing to move against them. It has happened with David De Caires. It has happened with Peter De Groot. It happened with Dr Yesu Persaud just three months ago.

Enter the Guyana Times, our latest daily that proclaims it is the beacon of truth on its masthead. Goodness, Gracious, Me! The Chronicle has on its masthead that it’s Guyana’s largest selling newspaper and the Times says it is the beacon of truth. The word ‘truth” is civilisation’s most mashed up word.

Guyana Times’s circulation is exceedingly low and cannot be compared to the two independent dailies. Yet this paper is replete with daily private sector advertisements most of which are in colour. Commonsense has gone out of the window and fear has taken its place.

If I want to sell my new product, commonsense should tell me that I should go with a paper that reaches nineteen thousand people daily.

By what logic would I give a placement to a paper that sells three thousand daily? Which of the three you would choose to alert people of a storm coming- Kaieteur News, Stabroek News or the Guyana Times?

Commonsense would tell you that the warning has to reach as many persons as possible. So why so much private advertisements in the Guyana Times? Big Brother is watching you to see if you will patronize him. No patronage, no favour!

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