Don’t take words out of context

Apr 26, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Evidence is required to substantiate a viewpoint and opinions should not be taken out of context. No solid concrete proof was offered by those who claim that Adam Harris in his column (KN April 14) called on people to protest against the government. And even if he did it is his right of freedom of expression as well as freedom of assembly as has been institutionalized under the PPP administration.
One should take the context into consideration when Adam wrote that he was surprised that there was no protest, is not the same as calling for protests.
I enjoy reading Adam’s column. He substantiates his points and does not make outlandish statements or call people names like Freddie Kissoon. If people feel there is wrongdoing, they should speak out and protest.  That is one’s right in a democracy and the PPP administration should be proud of its democratic track record allowing people to speak and write freely even when much of what is written is flawed and cannot be supported with evidence.
However, the right to protest does not give people the right to violate the rights of others or to rob or beat people as happened at Agricola or engage in violent destruction as happened in Linden. We should support those who engage in peaceful non-violent protests to right wrongs as Gandhi, Mandela, and King did.
And I am in agreement with Adam (KN Apr 21) that he does not need to send a message to protesters or APNU or AFC to come out in the streets.  If they want to, they will and as Adam penned, no protests means peace and stability and perhaps the non-beating of innocent people.
On freedom of expression, former President Jagdeo has every right to say what he did at Pandit Reep’s funeral as long as there is evidence.
The critics of Jagdeo’s comment were biased in condemning him for his claim of an anti-Indian resurgence (KN Apr 19).
Pt. Reep’s funeral was appropriate to make a charge of an anti-Indian resurgence as long as it can be backed up with evidence – not the kind of unsubstantiated claims made by Freddie Kissoon. It should be noted that Dr. King and Gandhi used every platform to speak out against injustice.
I remember during the struggle against the dictatorship during the 1970s thru 1992 in New York, there were critiques about whether festivals and funerals were appropriate to raise matters pertaining to human rights violations.
I had many negative experiences about the right place to protest. Arjune Karshan of the ACG, Vassan
Ramracha, Baytoram Ramharack, Chuck Mohan, etc. would all confirm that we were thrown out of temples, Koran Shariefs, funerals, etc. when we raised the issues of rights abuses. But we persevered and continued these activities anyway because there were virtually nowhere else to address an audience.
When we picketed Gowkarran Sharma at a Queens temple, some Hindus felt it was inappropriate.  When we rallied against Desmond Hoyte, Ptolemy Reid and other PNC Ministers at the UN, catering
halls, etc., PNC supporters felt it was inappropriate.
We were lambasted and cursed out as “coolie so and so …” for speaking out against injustices.
ACG activist Chuck Mohan, brother-in-law of Dr. Joey, would attest that an Amerindian security guard pulled a gun on us in Brooklyn at a protest against Reid who spoke at a church.
If we had to worry about the right place to protest, demonstrate, distribute literature and spoke out against evil, we would have never toppled the Guyanese dictatorship and restored democracy.
I should note that Dr. Jagan used every platform to speak out against injustice and human rights abuses in Guyana.  At a GOPIO dinner banquet in celebration of achievements of Indians in July 1989 at the Sheraton Centre, Dr. Jagan spoke out against political religious discrimination in Guyana.
A few days later at an afternoon cocktail reception, he appealed to President Dr. Thomas Abraham, Sudha Acharya and other GOPIO organizers to condemn apartheid like rule in Guyana giving legitimacy to using any platform to speak out against abuses.
Is there an anti-Indian resurgence, if you talk to Indians some will tell you that have experienced a lot of problems in recent times. Jagdeo cited Kissoon’s claim in defense of a lawsuit about 38 Indians who were promoted or hired by the PPP in top tier positions.
But how about other incidents like the spate of robberies, robberies and killings of Indians, the Agricola attacks, and Greenidge’s comment about sugar being a PPP problem?
Kissoon, Jagdeo, Adam, etc. have every right to freely express their views provided they have evidence to substantiate their arguments.
Vishnu Bisram

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