Nothing but monkeys on Monkey Mountain

Aug 24, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,

I have probably lived outside of the country of my birth too long to expect that those who hold positions in government should be more intelligent than (or at least as intelligent as) those they are charged with governing.

I refer (with surprise and chagrin) to a much-publicized response by Kwame McCoy, a ‘spokesperson’ for the President of Guyana, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo to a column by renowned journalist, Freddie Kissoon.

Mr. Kissoon said, “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.”

Is Mr. McCoy serious? Or does he believe that a gratuitous accusation of racism will play to his advantage in a country whose racial sensibilities are always stretched to the limit?

How effective is an agency which bills itself as the Ethnic Relations Commission if it will entertain, not to mention investigate, a complaint that being consigned to the remote region of Monkey Mountain in tantamount to being called a monkey?

Is there vetting of the correspondence of government officials before release to the media? If there isn’t, there should be.

Mr. McCoy’s remarks are embarrassing, even to me, living abroad as I do. Mr. President, you don’t need this from anyone in Guyana, regardless of ethnic group, if you want your administration to be taken seriously! The ‘Free’ in Freedom of Speech does not mean that it is of no value.

Lyn Morris

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