RPA incensed at attacks by rival group

May 02, 2009 News

The Guyana Rice Producers’ Association General Council takes exception to the continued public misuse of its acronym and the strategic campaign to vilify, demonise, and denigrate the RPA and its General-Secretary, by Jinnah Rahman.
In a statement issued yesterday by its General Secretary, Dharamkumar Seeraj, the association refuted the contentions of the group purporting to be an ‘action group of the RPA.’

According to Seeraj, the RPA is run on democratic principles and the GRPA Act provides that all farmers fitting the criteria are eligible for membership.
Extension officers are duty-bound to, and aggressively pursue, the registration of farmers across the country.
Farmers, Seeraj said, are also aware that this is an annual requirement to retain membership in the organisation.
He noted that some farmers choose not to pay the minuscule registration fee that would make them members of the RPA.

The association said yesterday in its statement that the sinister motives behind the attempts by Jinnah Rahman and the presidential aspirants sponsoring him can be deduced from his allegation that “…the General-Secretary of the GRPA and its Executive Committee of the General Council have conspired, with their local henchmen, who are aligned to a certain political group, to rig the elections of the Guyana Rice Producers Association and by so doing have total control of the Association and its assets.”
This is a libelous statement, which is being examined by the association’s lawyers, the statement said.
From this contention it is safe to deduce that the unwarranted attacks on the RPA and its General-Secretary by Jinnah Rahman and his politically-motivated sponsors are driven by greed and ambition to hijack the RPA assets and support systems, it noted.

The RPA leadership, Seeraj said, comprises members who are affiliated to various political parties.
Freedom of choice without prejudice is enshrined in Guyana’s constitution, he added, and the RPA refutes the allegations that the individual choices made by anyone within the organisation influences, determines and defines its regulatory or operational parameters and practices.
Rice farmers know who have consistently looked after their interests and no ploy to fool them into believing that Jinnah Rahman, Norris Witter and anyone affiliated to that group has their interests at heart, Seeraj added in his statement.