The PNC were the architects that suppressed Guyanese freedom of expression

May 17, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Those of us who find it relevant at times to compare the 28 years of PNC rule to the 19 years that the PPP has now been in power, are usually reminded that both Burnham and Hoyte are now deceased, and we must forget the past and focus on the corrupted Jagdeo Administration.
I have been guilty of doing this myself at one time for I felt then, that the ruling party has been in office long enough to turn the economy around.
But the more the PNCR tries to paint themselves as the saviour of the Nation we’ve all been waiting for, the more it becomes necessary to remind Guyanese, especially the youth, of those dark days we’re being asked to forget.
In an article, “PNCR says it will not allow PPP to destroy freedom of expression” (Kaieteur News May 16), I quote the following opening paragraph, “The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has vowed not to allow the government to trample upon the constitutional rights of Guyanese to freedom of expression, particularly in this election year.”
Normally, this would have been a very noble and courageous statement to make, except that the PNC were the architects that suppressed Guyanese freedom of expression for decades while they were in power during those 28 years they don’t want us to talk about.
And for the benefit of those young voters going to the polls for the very first time, the following will illustrate reasons why the PNCR has not only lost all rights to talk about freedom of expression in Guyana, they simply cannot be trusted to fully restore that right
It was the PNC Government that supported and protected the thugs from the House of Israel, a so-called religious group led by an African-American fugitive from the United States named David Hill, popularly known as Rabbi Washington that frequently used violence to break strikes and disrupt political and union meetings. At times in the presence of the Guyana Police Force, who appeared powerless to stop them.
So violent and feared was this group, that on July 14, 1979, some of its members armed with staves, cutlasses and knives, viciously attacked and murdered a Catholic priest, Father Bernard Darke, who was taking photographs for the weekly Carholic Standard, of a WPA demonstration to protest the arrest of WPA members including Dr. Walter Rodney, who had earlier been charged with arson.
Years later, after the death of LFS Burnham in August 1985, President Hoyte distanced his Administration from the House of Israel.
Rabbi Washington was arrested and charged with the murder of Father Darke and was found guilty and imprisoned.
Soon after Independence in 1966, the Nation Security Act was passed. This law was very repressive, and it gave the government authority to suspend the right of habeas corpus and to restrict and detain anyone without trial for an indefinite period.
In 1973, this law was strengthened to provide for preventive detention and restriction of movement of persons, control of firearms and ammunition, powers of search without warrants, and increased police powers.
Under this law, the PNC Government were given the power to impose “censorship and the control and suppression of publications, writings, maps, plans, photographs, communications and means of communication”, and to confiscate property.
The PNC Government used the protection of this law to subvert the army, police and judiciary, to crush political opponents.
Police harassment was common, and thugs associated with the PNC and its youth arm, the Young Socialist Movement (YSM), violently broke up public meetings of opposition political parties. This law was repealed in 1991, just prior to the general elections.
Freedom of expression was severely suppressed under the PNC.
In 1972, the importation of newsprint, book binding machinery and printing equipment was strictly controlled by the PNC government, who used the shortage of foreign exchange at the time to justify these restrictions.
Of course, the PNC now says it “will employ all legitimates means to ensure that our voice continues to be heard throughout the nation and that citizens or entities, including TV Channels Six and Nine, are not deprived of their constitutional rights.”
But in the 70’s it was the PNC who denied the voice of the people from being heard, by effectively muzzling any opposition to that regime.
The Mirror, organ of the PPP suffered immensely as a result, so did The Catholic Standard, weekly publication of the Catholic Church.
A number of libel suits were filed against the Catholic Standard, Dayclean (organ of the WPA) and Open Word, a weekly stencilled political news-sheet.
A total of five libel suits were filed against the Catholic Standard alone, one by President Forbes Burnham and four by Vice-President Desmond Hoyte.
Although I’m still awaiting the passage of the Freedom of Information Act as President Jagdeo repeatedly promised, the two independent dailies, Kaieteur News and SN, continue to operate and increase their circulation practically unimpeded by government, and are filled with daily criticism of government’s policies.
But apart from a few law suits and the denial of government ads to these media, any attempt to limit the freedom of expression by the Jagdeo Administration is minuscule compared to what they’ve learnt from the PNC.
Of course, the likes of Freddie Kissoon, Lurlene Nestor, Sasenarine Singh and Malcolm Harripaul would vehemently deny this.
Harry Gill

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