The fascistization process has become full fascism

Mar 23, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

I went on an interview programme and one of the callers asked my opinion on Robert Corbin. My reply was; why pick on Corbin alone; who is protesting semi-fascism and elected dictatorship in Guyana.
I spent Saturday evening liming with friends at Julian’s Restaurant at the corner of Sixth and Cummings Streets. The table was packed and the name Robert Corbin came up again. I answered in the same way – why is everyone pointing to Corbin as a failure in opposition politics?
Here now is a phenomenal chance for other people to demonstrate that indeed Corbin is a failure. By other people, I mean all the members of the professional classes, the business community, the churches and civil society groups. These people have and will have no excuse for not demonstrating in the most vigorous way against the open manifestations of a creeping fascism that has now crept up and has become nationally visible.
I am referring to a particular Bill in Parliament that was recently passed. This is a sick, sick, sick Bill. It should not be tolerated by the international donors, the ABC countries and the Caricom family of nations. This legislation is the worst form of democratic mockery in the history of the English-speaking Caribbean
I am doing this article for those who are not familiar with the fascist nature of this Act of Parliament. Indeed I will preface my explanation by saying that this Bill is essentially an act of fascist state terror. Here is what this legislation does to the soul of this nation. A person is charged with an indictable offence.
The DPP in the first place approved of the police charging the person. The same DPP office failed to win a conviction in the High Court in which a judge, no doubt with more learning and experience than the DPP, and a twelve-man jury, examined the evidence and came to the conclusion that guilt was not proven.
The same DPP office which leads the prosecution doesn’t like what took place and orders an appeal. One person, I repeat, ONE PERSON, overrules a practicing judge and twelve jurors that presided over a democratic process and a freed human being remains in jail if he or she cannot meet the bail (assuming bail is granted).
I will now describe for you one of the fascist dimensions of this Bill. The PPP as the ruling party under the presidency of Cheddi Jagan, his wife and Mr. Jagdeo, consistently argued that critics of the PPP Government want to denude elected politicians of power. For this reason, many opposition suggestions in the Constitutional Reform Commission to reduce the powers of the presidency were not accepted by PPP representatives.
PPP leaders have passed legislation that gives the ultimate say to the particular Minister because they continue to argue that the elected government must be allowed to make sensitive decisions. For this reason, the broadcasting legislation has been stalled.
As we saw recently, the Health Minister decides if a recalcitrant doctor is to be punished even if the Medical Council rules that he/she is guilty.
Suddenly, we have a situation in which enormous powers are granted to a citizen that is not elected and whose authority is more far-reaching than elected Ministers. The DPP now has the power to overrule a democratic, transparent trial in the High Court and has the powers to keep a person in jail for a very, very long time
There are two more depressing dimensions of fascism in this legislation within the context of the collapse of the social foundation of this country. One is that poor people who are freed in the High Court may not have the money to find bail, to pay a lawyer for the Court of Appeal hearing and if the DPP takes the case to the CCJ may not be able to have counsel.
Paying a lawyer to represent you in the CCJ is not a possibility for poor people. And this heartless government will not provide them with an attorney. The fascist monster that resides in this Bill is that the DPP, ONE PERSON alone in Guyana, has the power to keep a person in jail forever. It makes George Bush look like a boy scout.
Secondly, we do not have top class lawyers serving as our DPP as in the UK, Canada, Europe, USA, and CARICOM countries. My honest opinion is that our present DPP is not a very learned attorney and is not in a position to challenge the wisdom of any of our High Court judges. More on this fascist situation in subsequent columns.

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The fascistization process has become full fascism

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