We need changes for the various ethnic groups to have a level of self-governance

Nov 20, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
R. R. Shephard seems not to have realised that in trying to make an ethical case, s/he has demonstrated her/his want of ethics. S/he seems to be arguing not for the unbiased implementation of the placement rules, which were inherited from the PNC regime and were being badly abused, but for continued abuse so that she could have benefitted from it. S/he appears to have had no compunction about going to Georgetown and taking places from those who live in the area (which were not unusually the same black people s/he appears so concerned about) once her/his children could have got places. Further, s/he did not think that as a “young professional” s/he should demonstrate her/his commitment to the community by keeping her/his children in the local school and trying to improve the system. Instead, her/his concern was primarily about getting his/her children away and leaving all the other black children in substandard schools.
The reason there were many “children of Government officials and friends” in the preferred schools is precisely because the rules were abused to empower “young professionals” and others from the East Coast and elsewhere at the expense of the residents of places such as Tiger Bay. That said, it is well known that I, more or less, rigidly implemented the rules, even against senior political officials, African and Indians, young professionals and all, in favour of the perennially disadvantaged local communities.
There are many reasons I believed and still believe that people should go to the schools in their area, and if the examination results are anything to go by, today we see that that policy is paying off. In relation to Jeffrey standing motionless while more and more black people drop out of school, I would point Ms/Mr Shephard to (“To suggest that the general orientation of universal secondary education neglect poor learners is wrong:” KN:07/04/2010). I also should indicate that black children are not the only ones dropping out and that Amerindians suffer a worse fate.
Furthermore, my political position today has to do with the development of a fair society and not with black people as such. Just as in 1992 I believed Indian people were politically disadvantaged, today in my view African people are suffering and we need fundamental governance changes to allow the various ethnic groups a level of self-governance.
Some important corrections: neither L.F.S Burnham nor the PNC had anything to do with my university education. I lived in the UK and received a British grant to obtain a first degree and self-funded my master’s and doctorate degrees. I did not leave the Hoyte regime over any job demand: while doing my Phd in the UK I wrote a book that was critical of the PNC and on my return Hoyte sacked me from my position as principal of the Kuru-Kuru Co-operative College. Thirdly, I became associated with the PPP/C long before it won power and one should take care before seeming to contend that if a person of one ethnicity is found in a political party not dominated by her/his ethnic group, then that person is by definition some kind of opportunist in search of power! Finally, President Jagdeo and I had a disagreement over the Economic Partnership Agreement; he told me that my stay in the cabinet was no longer tenable and offered me the ambassadorship to Suriname, which I refused because the conditions were not acceptable to me.
Goodbye RR Shephard.
Henry B Jeffrey

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