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Bisram is no Indian triumphalist

Jan 24, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
Instead of focusing on Alexei Ramotar’s performance and qualification, M. Maxwell delved into personality and character assassination in his usual self denigrating of peoples’ academic qualifications as though academic achievements are meaningless.
He must be suffering from some inferiority complex hence his name-calling tirade. Maxwell, not me, fits the definition of an ethnic supremacist and triumphalist; I fought against ethnic triumphalism during the dictatorship. It is Maxwell who did not oppose the dictatorship and has been consistently attacking Indians.
Sociologists define ethnic triumphalism or “supremacism” as an attitude or belief that one’s ethnicity is superior to all others and or when one’s ethnic party triumphs over others. I certainly don’t subscribe to such a belief and since I don’t belong to any political organization in Guyana , I don’t gloat in their victory.
Thus, the description of being an ethnic triumphalist does not apply to me but it does apply to Maxwell who has been involved in excessive demonstrative glee at the combined PNC-AFC victory in November 2011.
I do not support the idea of one ethnic group governing Guyana as happened between 1966 and 1992 or in South Africa or Zimbabwe or Fiji. I consistently penned there must be multi-ethnic governance.
If fighting prejudice and racism against Indians, Amerindians, Portuguese, etc. by Maxwell’s former party is “supremacism” or triumphalism, then I have no problem with being described as an “Indian triumphalist”. I plead guilty noting that I am in good company with Dr. Jagan, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, etc. all of whom were also labeled ethnic triumphalists (for fighting racism).
Ethnic triumphalism is predicated on a foolish assumption that one’s ethnic group is superior than another. Europeans had practiced that policy in Guyana and after that the PNC.
The PPP and its supporters could not practise that policy because it was in office, never in government, as Dr. Jagan wrote. And since 1992, Guyana has been a full fledged democracy. No one has been celebrating an ethnic victory except the opposition over the last two years – blocking one policy after another.
Maxwell’s party, AFC, in coalition with the PNC (APNU), practices triumphalism dictating the directions of government policies. Such triumphalism is dangerous to the society.
There must be no triumphalism for anyone. We need a constitution that assiduously offers the strongest protection of individual rights and that allows all ethnic groups a meaningful say in how the country is governed; let us go back to the 1961 consitution!
With regards to Alexei Ramotar. Maxwell has not stated anything new. I reiterate that he should not be disqualified from heading the e-governance department simply because he is the son of the President. There are several people whose family are in government employ, including the daughter of my friend Moses Nagamootoo.
I have no evidence on which to judge or evaluate his competence or the completion of the job for which he is assigned – if Maxwell has evidence, then present it to the appropriate authority for expedited action. I do not dispute Maxwell that people with doctorates and Masters Degrees at times have failed in their business or other endeavours.
For goodness sake, I have countless masters and a doctorate and I myself have not succeeded in all of my tasks and responsibilities. There are reasons other than just academic qualifications, that account for failures or even successes. Degrees alone don’t bring success or failures. But one should not derogate the academic achievements of people.
Degrees are requisite qualifications for certain assignments. Would Maxwell allow a cane cutter (no disrespect intended) to perform surgery on his heart?
So it will be wrong for Maxwell to conclude that Alexei’s Masters in Computer Science is not an asset in his position as head of e-governance.
Should the government hire someone without the appropriate qualification (Maxwell perhaps) to do the job?
Maxwell should stick to issues and stop the name calling and unjust attacks on peoples characters.
Vishnu Bisram

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