When gossip is spread as truth

Jun 20, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
Mr Sultan Mohamed in comments on my letter associates me with a certain mindset, ”What can fundamentally reassure mindsets which have historically cultivated abhorrence to seemingly being governed by those of another “undeserving” race and their culture but still demands accommodating flip flop parity with the same alleged undesirables within a national government other than a right to be free?”(June 11,2012)
This letter is an attempt to reply to the very wide ranging comments of Mr Sultan Mohamed’s letter of June 11, 2012 I seem to have done something to a small inspired group. His letter repeated some false comments on my early life. I first heard the story of how I grew up from a Trinidadian, Mr Vassan Ramracha’s letter of October 3, 2010. He alleged that I made “daily visits to the homes of three Indian Buxtonians who he was unable to defend and protect contrary to Dr Hinds…”
In spite of a correction in a letter from a member of one of the families, who felt that his honour as senior public servant, Mr Ramracha stuck to his story of my alleged daily visits to the families. The three families were all Hindus. There were Christian and Muslim Indian families in the village. Isn’t that an early sign of partitioning? In the opinion of the investigators of my youth, I did not visit others. What kind of debate is this? And with all these visits on hand I had no space to visit African villagers, it seems. I wonder why.
He added that an Indian family had sustained my mother’s household
I have no information to offer on my early life. That is for my friends. What these know-alls have written so far is not just to show off snatches of facts they picked up. Since they know everybody’s business let them carry on. I have no interest in what Mr Mohamed ate at the age of 7 or 17, or who his good friends, if any, were.
Mr Sultan Mohamed’s letter appeared on June 11,2012. It contained the following expansion of my life story: “Only a small circle knew that Pandit Persaud and his father Pandit Latchman Persaud were very financially generous in times of need to Mr Kwayana and his extended King family ”. All right readers. You now know what hand to mouth people we were. This interest comes from an old way of dealing with petty disagreements. “That man used to eat at our house.” It is nothing more and nothing less.
Mr Sultan Mohamed spends some time explaining how various Hindus use their scriptures. This is because he wants to tell me about the elephant and its body. He likens the trunk of the elephant to the Preamble to the Constitution. Wonderful! He adopts a line of argument claiming that it comes from Sam Persaud,” The tail of the elephant is not the whole elephant.” This is the “knockout punch.” And it is quite true.
Turning to my letter about the Preamble to the Constitution, he says that I ought to know that the trunk and the tusks of the elephant do not make up the whole elephant. Let me quote from my letter :”The Preamble does not compel it, but advises it.”
I enjoyed the reference to the elephant. The Preamble leads on to the Constitution. The trunk leads on to the elephant.
I googled “Elephant’s Trunk.” Among many statements I found this. ”The elephant’s trunk is the most versatile and useful appendage on the planet.”
I found that the elephant uses the nose in its trunk to understand its surroundings. It can be called a kind of guide. This is all I claim for the Preamble.
It is not the main part of the Constitution. There can be a Constitution without a Preamble, but if one is there, it serves as a guide like the elephant’s trunk..
I give notice that I shall ignore other gossip, and discuss the 2001 Preamble and a few informed opinions on preambles, in general.
Eusi Kwayana.

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When gossip is spread as truth

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