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Democracy, knowledge and Mr.Seeram

Jul 26, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

A person with an adequate educational background (which does not have to include any university or college exposure) can learn about the behaviour of Governments by simply searching the internet. This is the world today. Knowledge about how a government treats its citizens does not have to come from living in that territory.
Researchers who want to deep digger and extend their familiarity with the nuances of the country will need to visit the place.
There are almost a million Guyanese who live outside the borders of this state. Quite a number of them are acquainted with many of the happenings, occurrences and developments in Guyana because just like us who live in Guyana, they have access to the same newspaper we read in the morning at the breakfast table.
The only difference is format. A local reads the printed version. A foreign-based Guyanese reads the online edition.
Mr. Ralph Seeram, a Sunday columnist with this newspaper, by his own admission last week, informed his readers that he goes early in the mornings to digest the online version of Kaieteur News. It is logical to assume he has been doing that for quite sometime now. Yet, in a previous column, Mr. Seeram behaves as if he does know what is taking place here. Having met President Jagdeo for a few minutes at a forum where Mr. Jagdeo spoke, Mr. Seeram reported two weeks ago on the answers Mr. Jagdeo gave to his questions. Mr. Seeram went further and offered his own comments.
In a recent column, I took umbrage at some of these judgements of Mr. Seeram. So last Sunday he replied and deceived his readers. He indicated that my criticism of him was unfair because all he did was to publish Jagdeo’s statements.
This is not true. Mr. Seeram does not even know what he writes. For example, he observed that “Mr. Jagdeo is passionate about democracy in Guyana.” I took him up on this. Even if it is an opinion, Seeram’s observation cannot be supported by facts.
Saying Guyana is a democracy and stating that Guyana’s President is passionate about democracy are too completely different things.
Here is the difference. A country’s democracy can be traditionally strong and enduring, so Prime Ministers and Presidents come and go and the essence of the democratic edifice remains. When a country’s leader is passionate about democracy in his/her country then it denotes activism specifically designed to strengthen what already exists and to increase both the depth and content of democracy.
Three examples should suffice. First, India has made it illegal for retired judges to have employment with private companies. Secondly, the creation of the Freedom of Information Act was a direct invention to expand democracy. Thirdly, President Obama’s heath care legislation was designed to give the poorer classes access to the medical resources of their country.
If Mr. Seeram believes (as he has stated) that President Jagdeo “is passionate about democracy” in Guyana, then where is the evidence? Mr. Seeram may provide that in a forthcoming column but Mr. Seeram has to know that democratic setbacks have occurred under Mr. Jagdeo’s rule since he came to power in 1999.
I find it insulting that I have to provide Mr. Seeram with an enumeration of what I honestly believe he knows. He said that he was a former journalist in this country. Since he reads about Guyana, then he should know that after twelve years of Mr. Jagdeo’s passion for democracy, Guyana’s remains maybe the only country in the world where there is one radio station with a licence to operate legally and that licence-holder is the government itself.
Let me conclude with two manifestations of extreme foolishness of Mr. Seeram. Last Sunday he stated that he didn’t believe when Mr. Jagdeo told him that he does not read the Kaieteur News and he told Mr. Jagdeo that. Well, by what logic can he believe all the other things Mr. Jagdeo told him and that so impressed him that he gave Mr. Jagdeo a massive endorsement.
Secondly, in warning readers that he is not a PPP propagandist he wrote; “Please don’t remind me about the evils of the PPP, you would only be preaching to the choir.”
The most obvious question stands out, that Mr. Seeram must morally commit himself to answer and don’t bother to deal with its origins and go back into the distant past. What is this evil? Is it still there? Who in the PPP practices it? Has Mr. Jagdeo been part of this evil? Is he still involved in this evil?

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