Khemraj Ramjattan’s Bath Settlement call was ill-advised

Jan 22, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Recent comments made by the presidential candidate for the Alliance for Change (AFC), Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, can best be described as politically insensitive, premature, irresponsible and crude.
According to media reports, Ramjattan on January 15, 2011, while addressing a public meeting at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, calls on Guyanese of East Indian descent not to fear Guyanese of African descent.
It is this call by Mr. Ramjattan that I find very offensive and which I believe has the potential for stirring all kinds of unhelpful, unhealthy and offensive debates.
We have already seen the Indian Arrival Committee’s (IAC) take on the subject. I am not a member of that committee, neither am I aware of its mission and objectives, but I believe, on this issue, the organisation has stated its interpretation on the subject, which I believe it is entitled to.
My interpretation of the matter is, however, in direct contrast to their’ and I dear say I am also entitled to my view. These are the consequences of miscalculated, inappropriately charged, and politically insensitive comments.
A cursory examination of Ramjattan’s comments would raise these serious issues;
Firstly, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan and the AFC seem to have taken a position that our East Indian Brothers and Sisters are afraid of Afro-Guyanese. Since this appears to be the general position of the AFC I wish to ask whether Ramjattan or his party is in position of any empirical evidence, on which their presumption might be based.
For too long those masquerading as leaders among us have been allowed to make ill-advised statements and comments, which have gone unchallenged or questioned.
In addition, far too often the negative impact of their words or deeds are not analyzed nor scrutinized to rightly apportion blame. Many are encouraged to repeat themselves or even, foolishly, defend the indefensible because they are confident that they will not be held responsible.
Secondly, since Ramjattan tell Indo-Guyanese not to fear Afro-Guyanese, I wonder what will be his call to Guyanese of African Descent when he takes his campaign to say Hopetown West Coast Berbice or Perth Village Mahaicony, predominantly African villages. Will his message be “please don’t frighten or scare Indo-Guyanese” or will the message be “the Indo-Guyanese will not be afraid of you anymore”. Really, what will be the message?
IAC in its letter of complaint to the ERC, described Ramjattan’s call as a “gross and outrageous insult” stating that it is “aimed at making one ethnic group inferior to another”. Putting it simply this Indo-Guyanese organisation, which has strong links to the ruling party, felt that the statement by Ramjattan projects Indo-Guyanese as an inferior class.
Their statement also added that the “The IAC believes that the AFC has unwisely and inaccurately portrayed the entire ethnic group, to which its presidential candidate belongs, as being cowardly…” Clearly, the IAC’s interpretation has to be further examined.
My interpretation of Mr. Ramjattan’s call is beyond seeking political points and therefore it is diabolically different from the IAC’s. While the IAC’s statement seeks to project Indo-Guyanese as victims entrapped by the call, my view is that the comments have the potential to make both groups victims. For me the call seems to imply that Afro Guyanese are bullies or tyrants who apparently unleash some kind of fear on our Indo-Guyanese counterpart. The danger in this is that it may encourage unwarranted actions from both groups as some persons from both sides may try to disprove that fear perception while some from the other group may want to live up to that “instiller of fear” label.
Frankly, Mr. Ramjattan should be encouraging Guyanese to rid themselves of the real fear, which has engulfed the society over the last decade or so. That fear that was brought on because of poor governance, where corruption and crime seems to define the current national status quo. It is that fear which results in an extreme case of torture being dismissed by the court because the witnesses might be too fearful to testify. It is that fear that keeps an employee silent, even though he is withstanding the worst of government’s policy of victimization. It is that fear that causes every citizen to feel targeted by criminals almost daily, it is that fear that causes people to stay away from the justice system because they fear that justice will not be served. It is that fear that causes the Guyanese to give up their right to free speech because of fear of victimization. It is that fear that caused Ms. Varshine Singh to wait almost nine years before telling the nation that the President, of Guyana, whom we were told was her legal husband was in fact her common law spouse or live in boyfriend. It is that fear that you can be the next Ronald Waddle if you have certain views, it is that fear that you can act in a position for years until retirement because you are not anointed by the authorities, check Geneive Whyte-Nedd.
We should be talking about the fears expressed by the parents of the late Sheema Mangar, who feels that the criminals who murdered their daughters will not be brought to justice. It is the fears brought on by a porous security sector that Mr. Ramjattan should be telling the people of. These are the real fears the AFC should be telling the people about.
Ramjattan failed to tell the residents of Bath Settlement what are the real fears they must overcome, it may be because he, himself is fearful of speaking of the real fear.
The AFC’s presidential candidate, should have also reminded Indo-Guyanese that if there is any fear of Afro-Guyanese on their part it might be that fear that the PPP/C induced upon the nation during those years of regular street protest. It was during those times that protestors, who were primarily Afro-Guyanese, were labeled one derogatory name to another. We were called hooligans, mobsters, criminals, and even terrorists. Mr. Ramjattan was a vocal member of the PPP/C during that time, and he is aware of how that party utilized these descriptions to instill fear in other people. So, the genesis of this perceived that he lamented on must be examined within that context, and people must take responsibility.
Let’s add that I enjoy the company and friendship of countless Indo-Guyanese and none of them have ever expressed any fear of me.
I believe that Mr. Ramjattan’s comments were ill advised and irresponsible and he should do the correct thing and retract it. We need to inculcate a modern political culture where political leaders can also say “I am sorry, I misspoke”.
Come 2011 we should all be working to ensure that scourge of fear that has befall Guyana over the last decade or so is far removed from our nation.
Lurlene Nestor

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