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The ERC should promptly end this ‘investigation’
Dear Editor,
It is with disgust that I pen this letter to you today. The issue that warrants such disgust is that of Kwame McCoy’s complaint to the ERC about a Freddie Kissoon article that allegedly associates him with a monkey.
Imagine my surprise when I read the article to see what all the fuss is about. I am deeply disappointed that Kwame McCoy who claims to be an intellectual would make such an assertion after reading the article.
For clarity’s sake, here is the alleged racial remark: “Burnham would never have tolerated a Kwame McCoy as his spokesperson. Burnham would have consigned Mc Coy to a platoon in the National Service on Monkey Mountain.” I believe the average man will look at this statement and not for one minute identify any racial connotation.
Let me educate Mr. McCoy on how I, and many others, would understand this remark. Firstly, Monkey Mountain is the place where the National Service was conducted. Mr. Kissoon was merely saying that instead of making Mr. McCoy his spokesperson Comrade Burnham would have sent him to Monkey Mountain to train in the National Service. Now if Mr. McCoy cannot understand a simple statement like that, then one wonders about the quality of advice our Honourable President is receiving.
To add insult to injury, the ERC has stepped in to “investigate”. What is there to investigate? The context in which the word monkey was used by Mr. Kissoon is unambiguous and should be enough to close the case. A call to the English Department at the University of Guyana would have unraveled this confusion.
For the ERC to investigate something that is clearly not worth its time would only open the floodgates to frivolous complaints. I appreciate that complaints of racism should be treated with utmost precedence, but this occasion does not warrant such an exaggerated response, as clearly a basic understanding of the English Language would remedy the situation. The ERC should promptly conclude this “investigation” least it loses its credibility.
Mr. McCoy’s reaction was irresponsible and only serves to stir up racial tensions within the society. I suggest he enrolls in some much needed English lessons and refrain from making himself a public spectacle. Indeed, I agree with Mr. Kissoon that Mr. McCoy would have been sent to National Service, his reaction to the article only serves to underscore the reasoning.
H. Forrester
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