Desecration of the Babu John Holy Shrine

Mar 31, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Three weeks ago, the PPP disciples gathered faithfully at the Babu John Holy Shrine to pay homage to one of Guyana’s beloved sons, Dr. Cheddi Jagan.
It should have been an uplifting event, for Babu John is considered a sacred ground, a sanctity to memorialize the Jagans.
The predominantly Indo-Guyanese faithful had expected to hear an inspirational and uplifting speech filled with reverence, grace and praise for their hero.
For them it was supposed to be a Mother Theresa moment of dignity, respect and tranquility. Instead, Mr. Jagdeo gave the most shocking, disgusting, prejudiced, jaundiced and abysmal speech.
He actually brought fire and brimstone to his PPP supporters with his disgraceful “cuss down” behaviour.
He took swipes at Kaieteur News columnist and UG lecturer Freddie Kissoon and Raphael Trotman and Sasenarine Singh of the AFC.
This was not called for, as it was supposed to be a solemn occasion to celebrate the lives of the Jagans.
His “cuss down” did not end there. He told the audience in the most rambunctious manner and without any proof that PNCR Presidential candidate Brigadier David Granger has blood on his hands and that Indo-Guyanese should not forget that as an army officer, Granger was involved in rigging the 1973 elections and the murder of three Indo-Guyanese.
His ranting and ravings were utterly false and were aimed at spreading propaganda.
He also told them that they must not forget what Burnham and the PNC did to them during the 1970s and 1980s and that they must educate the Indian youths of what took place in that time period.
It was the ugliest, nastiest, unholy and the most pungent attack by Mr. Jagdeo on his fellow Guyanese. It led to a media backlash against him and the flawed and inept PPP regime.
Mr. Jagdeo tantrums and fascist outbursts have fatally wounded the PPP and embarrassed some of its senior members, many of whom have begun their quiet defections.
Instead of memorializing Dr. Jagan, Mr. Jagdeo’s desecrated the Babu John Holy Shrine with his demagoguery that was filled with bitter hatred.
An occasion that should have revered a great son of the soil devolved into old-fashioned racial politics that date back to the “Apaan Jhaat” style of politics in an earlier period.
It goes without saying that racial politics is an indispensable ethnic/tribal card that symbolizes PPP politics in the twenty-first century.
The PPP used racism in the 2006 elections to invoke ethnic insecurities on the Indo-Guyanese population as a means for them to vote for the PPP.
The preaching of hatred and distrust of Afro-Guyanese by the PPP has intensified bigoted emotions in Indo-Guyanese against their Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters whose desire is to help in the development of Guyana and live peacefully alongside their Indian brothers and sisters.
It is high time for the PPP to become mature and let peace and love prevail among Indo-and-Afro-Guyanese as it should be.
You ask why Mr. Jagdeo “cussed down” Mr. Granger and others and denigrated the entire Afro-Guyanese race? He did so because of his disrespect for the Jagans and the sanctified Babu John Shrine where their ashes lay, or for the dead in general.
This is evident in the way he remained silent during the destruction of the sacred resting place of the dead at Le Repentir cemetery.
For the PPP to invoke this decades-old style of racial politics and to unleash it on the nation at a time when it is still struggling to overcome and heal the racial divide in Guyana is outrageous and disgraceful.
The PPP should be ashamed and should know that racial politics has no place in Guyana in the modern era.
It is outside the purview of this letter to explain how depraved, perverse, venal, wicked, spiteful and immoral the PPP regime is.
But I will urge all Guyanese to cleanse themselves from the scourge of racism and racial politics and unite in the interest of all.
Guyana is beaming with its young and ambitious educators, entrepreneurs, intellectuals and scientists who make up almost 65 percent of the population.
The youths must set the right example for their children, and should not allow the corrupt and inept PPP regime to use race as a vote-getter in the next election. Guyanese are educated and matured enough not to fall for the race-bait politics practiced by the visionless Jagdeo and the PPP cabal.
In campaigning at Bath Settlement a few weeks ago, AFC Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan had the wisdom and intellect to know that the PPP will appeal to racial politics to win the election and is prepared to unleash it on this nation once again. Mr. Ramjattan did not mince his words when he berated the PPP for telling Indo-Guyanese that they must be afraid of Afro-Guyanese.
Instead, he said Indians should be afraid of the PPP government and not Afro Guyanese who are their neighbours, brothers, sisters, friends, and workmates.
Indo-Guyanese should know that the PPP under Jagdeo is far different from the PPP under Cheddi Jagan. Dr. Jagan’s PPP fought for the working class, was not as corrupt and was more ethical and honest than the PPP under the stewardship of Mr. Jagdeo.
The Jagdeo PPP is highly corrupt, dishonest, uncouth, and disgraceful and comprised of kleptomaniacs who used the state resources to enrich themselves overnight.
They have only supported the wealthy and not the working class, shown contempt for the rule of law and for Guyanese and have brought shame to Guyanese nationals in the Diaspora, the Caribbean and elsewhere.
As Guyanese, we all know that Guyana cannot prosper and survive peacefully when the Afro-Guyanese population is discriminated against and marginalized by the PPP government. It has been 19 years since this fascist and corrupt regime came to power. It is time to expire it in 2011.
Asquith Rose

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