Guyana cries out for upstanding leaders

Feb 07, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
AFC presidential candidate, Khemraj Ramjattan, at a Bath Settlement political meeting, is reported telling the Indian dominated crowd, “to stop being fearful of African Guyanese.”
To this Lurlene Nestor (Kaieteur News, January 22, “Khemraj Ramjattan’s Bath Settlement call was ill-advised”) made it known that, “this call by Mr. Ramjattan [she finds] very offensive and…has the potential for stirring all kinds of unhelpful, unhealthy and offensive debates.” That the responses/debates have indeed turned unhelpful, unhealthy and offensive reveal how ignorant and arrogant some are to matters of race, race relations and respect for the racial other.
Notable, the spate of letters that followed Ramjattan’s inarticulate statement and Nestor’s responses, none of the writers (Amar Panday, Malcolm Harripaul, Harry Gill) took the time to seek understanding of Nestor’s view, choosing instead to dig their heels in deeper on a matter that requires respect and being open-minded. It is said “he who feels it knows’, and while Panday, Harripaul, Gill and Ramjattan are not from the alleged feared group, had they taken cognizance of this adage it would have aided in informing their views and treatment of another, since perception/prejudice of another invariably informs/exposes how one views/treats the other.
Even a cursory examination of the Indian-African conflicts in Guyana, there is no guilty/innocent race, thereby making it even more troubling to single out one group to be feared.
Panday (Kaieteur News January 25, “Mr. Ramjattan was not endeavouring to forward a sociological analysis of the Guyanese society”) in making it known he is articulating the AFC’s views, on the Indian fear factor said “this has been so for a variety of reasons whether justified or unjustified.” This statement raises questions as to why the “unjustified” fear has been allowed to fester and why the AFC has failed to address it during its existence since the society was led to believe its formation was to eliminate the racial divide? Why didn’t the AFC make this a national crusade over the last five years? Is the AFC playing along to get along? Said media reported Ramjattan citing examples of Indians living and working in other countries dominated and/or led by Africans and the composition of the West Indian team as evidence of “racial harmony.” Absent in the said report/his comments were any reference to examples of racial harmony in Guyana even as he argued the “Alliance For Change wants you to aspire to embrace racial harmony.” Couldn’t evidence of local “racial harmony” which abounds in the nursing, teaching and public sector where the African workforce dominates and serve the Indian population; in sugar and the private sector where Indians dominate and serve the African community; where children of all races play together; or other social gathering where the races congregate or inter-depend, be proffered? Ignoring the local and relying on the external in itself feeds the “unjustified fear.”
Rather than seeking to calibrate Ramjattan’s statement or admit to misspeak, Panday dug in deeper saying “Ramjattan was not in any way endeavouring to forward a sociological analysis of the Guyanese society.” But if he was not why then engaged in the matter and project the AFC’s position? Any analysis and corrective measure on race relations requires sociological analysis since we are dealing with people and society. The ignorance and arrogance informing Panday’s rebuttal demonstrates how ill-informed and disrespectful some are to race issues which for years have done this country a great disservice and hijack efforts at nation-building and development.
Harry Gill thinks “Ramjattan should not respond to this ridiculous charge” (Kaieteur News 29-01-11) even as he seized the opportunity to support Ramjattan’s call with his view of “crimes committed by ethnicity.” In some societies Gill would have been called out to provide supporting evidence or face the public’s wrath for engaging in acts of stereotyping. African groups, academic community, upstanding individuals and progressive media would have dissected his statements for what they’re worth and exposed him. In Guyana he gets away with his recklessness, stoking the fires of racial animosity and exacerbating the “unjustified fear.”
Malcolm Harripaul responded that the “PPP exploits racial fears to enbloc Indo Guyanese votes” (Kaieteur News 02-02-11). He said, “I shall not go back into the social unrest of the 1960’s. I shall start with the violence against Indo Guyanese in the aftermath of the 1997 elections.” Here again, readers are being exposed to a skewing of our historical racial realities that continue to feed the “unjustified fear” of another. You cannot start midway of a situation and expect conclusive accuracy. Hadn’t Harripaul avoided the “social unrest of the 1960s” he would have had to admit to the Indian aggression of 1961 that caused Eusi Kwayana to pen “Next Witness” appealing for international help for the violence unleashed on Africans under a Jagan led PPP administration. It becomes convenient for Harripaul to argue the Indian fears by selectively situating reality around the “violence against Indo Guyanese in the aftermath of the 1997 elections.” No denying Indians were attacked during this period. Said attacks were condemned by the populace across the racial divide and the government was asked to investigate same. One also recalls the PNC leadership saying their protests were invaded by PPP hired provocateurs. The society lost out on another opportunity to come together on a matter for our collective good. In 2010 Freddie Kissoon and Khemraj Ramjattan also experienced African paid agents disrupting his presentation and picketing his chambers respectively. Recall is also made of Ramjattan’s admittance of paid agents in the PNC led marches at a Joint Opposition People’s Partnership forum at City Hall in 2008. Recently President Jagdeo was again asked to release the tape he claims to have of opposition politicians engaging with criminal elements in Buxton. To date he refuses. Can we see the nation uniting on this and holding the president accountable until he releases the tapes?
Harripaul also excluded some aspect of the East Coast Demerara violence, such as the gangs led by the Indian Inspector Gadget who operated out of Buxton, and Deonauth Balram and PPP card bearing member Gopaul Chowtie who was killed by the police after they had beaten and robbed Jules and Leila Chabrol at Success ECD. Why were these excluded? Harripual asked, “Who benefits from the rampant crime? Who benefits from a fearful society?” The answers are known. The PPP benefit from these dysfunctional behaviours but it also requires giving voice to the unspoken since it works to eliminate the unjustified fear, expose the PPP for who they are, and unite the nation around common good.
Even as the AFC prides itself on working for “racial harmomy” Sasenarine Singh, its finance points-man was among the first who used the letter columns to push for an Indian presidential candidate on the opposition slate to beat the PPP. Singh is a minority of minorities in the country he now resides and enjoys equality and opportunities, in spite of his race, yet he seeks to impose inequality and deny opportunities to non-Indian Guyanese. How reconcilable is the call to racial harmony and ending race-based politics?
Crime speaks to the breaking of the law and it can be committed on person or property. Guyanese not only want racial/political crimes prosecuted, the people also want the same for all crimes, including state crimes.
Given the critical factors stated above, it is regrettable the AFC ignores them in their ‘promise’ of forging “racial harmony,” since ignoring them begs the question of the level of commitment. Guyana cries out for upstanding leaders, including politicians, government officials and those who grace our letter columns. So badly needed it is that we may have to resort to putting up “Help wanted” signs.
M. A. Bacchus

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