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AFC’s one-eye focus on human rights abuses

Nov 05, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
There is no pleasure writing this letter, but write I must. The unfolding events and the seriousness of growing discrimination cannot be swept under the carpet or ignored. I am referring to the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior, as practiced by the PPP and AFC, albeit different in focus.
The tortures of the teenager and Deonarine Raffi for the alleged murder of former Region Three Vice Chairman Ramnaught Bisram have seen condemnation coming from some unlikely and not so unlikely quarters. Reading Gerhard Ramsaroop’s blog in SN online edition of November 1, 2009 I learnt Sunday “all day [at the] AFC NEC meeting the matter will be discussed further – our NRG (Non-Resident Guyanese) on the executive will also help raise the international profile on the case. The AFC is throwing its whole weight behind this issue.”
People read the Statement of the Guyana Bar Association! Did these lawyers have an epiphany on human rights abuses? Where were these defenders all along? Asleep? Didn’t care? Didn’t they know oppression and torture are human rights abuses? Were their condemnation and signatures for a fee? Are they speaking out because of class, political, ethnic and economic interests?
What happened to the teenager and Raffi is gruesome and a violation of their rights. The law book should be thrown at the guilty police officers. What is sad, it took the torture of the teenager and Raffi to have the AFC spend all day discussing torture and human rights abuses.
This would make believers find comfort in the teachings that God acts in mysterious ways. Alvin Wilson, Victor Jones, Michael Dunn, Patrick Summer, Sharth Robertson, Troy Small, Roger Khan’s victims and those African Guyanese who voted for the AFC must be inclined to be hopeful the AFC might somehow finally understand their daily torture of imposed inferiority, marginalisation, oppression and brutality. They can only hope the AFC leadership may finally understand the pains and anguishes of the Africans too.
Those who were tortured before would remember the government said it was not torture just “a little roughing up”. Chief Spokesman, Dr. Luncheon did say the completion of the torture inquiry by the government would not mean disciplining the officers involved. Let’s see what happens to the torture inquiry of the teenager and Raffi.
Again, Khemraj Ramjattan must be commended for representing the AFC Indian constituents. Again, Sheila Holder, Raphael Trotman, Dennis Patterson and Cathy Hughes must be condemned for turning their backs on the AFC African constituents who by the way are the Party’s base. Ramjattan and Ramsaroop have represented the Indians protesting the police in Berbice, Ramdass’ robbery and murder at sea and now Raffi and the teenager.
Tragically, this militant Ramjattan who in 2007 supported the Berbice protest against the police, in 2009 is adamantly against the AFC protesting the PPP abuses in Georgetown.
The AFC cannot show any instance of standing up for Africans. If Ramjattan and Ramsaroop can do it then Trotman and other African leaders can do the same. African votes must not be used against them or only for others! I wonder what my friend, AFC supporter and defender, Linjay Harry Vogelson thinks about his Party’s one-eye focus on human rights abuses.
Osafo Modibo

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