I have one question only for Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

Sep 01, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am a Guyanese living in New York. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan on three occasions during the AFC overseas campaigns. I was introduced to him by a friend of mine who is a friend of Mr. Ramjattan’s cousin. I suspect I could be accused of being a poor judge of character when I say that I found Mr. Ramjattan to be impressive on our first occasion of meeting. I may be wrong or I may be biased but I believe he is the most committed Guyanese nationalist I have met from all three parties and I have met a few.
Mr. Ramjattan is more attentive and frank when you talk to him about Guyana. During our three brief conversations, he would always say, Guyana is in bad shape so don’t expect quick solution and try to understand that. I may be wrong but in my judgement, he is the most nationalistic I have met of all those that came to New York and met with Guyanese since 2006. I believe the APNU and AFC should alternate the presidential slot so it can be Mr. Ramjattan’s turn in 2020.
I read Mr. Christopher Ram’s scorching condemnation of Mr. Ramjattan and it has further deterred me from getting involved in Guyanese politics. Why should the Minister of Security resign, as Mr. Ram demands, because of two prison riots? Why not the President too? I live in the US where both state and federal prisons witnessed violent deaths and the FBI head was not called upon to resign. We here in the US have seen air disasters without any Cabinet resignations.
Mr. Ram’s name does not travel well in the US, I can tell Guyanese this. I don’t want to get your paper in legal trouble Mr. Harris or you as a matter of fact but Mr. Ram’s track record as an official receiver in a certain matter I think has not been adequately documented and maybe the reason for this is because the papers and journalists are afraid of libel.
The basic reason for writing this letter is because of what I read from Leonard Craig on Guyana’s mistreatment of Freddie Kissoon. I refer to your edition of Tuesday, August 29, 2017 with the heading of a letter; “A nationalist the APNU+AFC leadership refuses to befriend.” Mr. Editor, anyone who is an honest Guyanese and who lives in New York would tell you that Freddie Kissoon is one of the most admired, respected and popular Guyanese among the diaspora Guyanese in the US. Freddie Kissoon would fill a hall and with overflows should he come to New York to give a lecture on the nature of Guyanese politics. Freddie Kissoon to many of us, is the new Walter Rodney.
I’ll give you an example Mr. Editor. I have a friend who couldn’t stand Freddie’s politics. He thinks Freddie and the Kaieteur News helped to bring the PNC back in power. This guy, though my friend and quite a nice man, is from the mind-set that sees the PNC as never being good for Guyana. One day, we were discussing the GECOM chairman controversy and Freddie’s name came up because he had written a column a few weeks ago critical of the government. To my surprise, my friend said, “I think Freddie is going to do to them what he did to the PPP.” I couldn’t believe it. As the conversation wore on, he admitted that the Freddie Kissoons of this world will always denounce wrong-doing no matter from which party, which race and which government in his homeland.
I have one question from Mr. Ramjattan. I will try my best to get an audience with him in the hope he remembers me should he visit New York soon to meet with Guyanese. Why the AFC is afraid to befriend Freddie as Leonard Craig wrote? I thought that there was a good friendship between the two men. Somewhere I got lost when I got to know that Freddie is not serving the government in any capacity at all. Could Mr. Ramjattan explain? Was Freddie offered a position but was unreasonable? Did Freddie demand what couldn’t be offered? Mr. Editor, I have never met or spoken with Freddie Kissoon so I don’t know the gentleman but it is possible the fault is from his side. Why would someone as sincere as Mr. Ramjattan not see a place for Freddie in a government in which Mr. Ramjattan is a senior Vice President? Can Mr. Ramjattan explain? Would Freddie care to explain too? I hope so
Parsnauth Jaipersaud (Jai)

1 thoughts on “I have one question only for Minister Khemraj Ramjattan”

Kassem_B September 2, 2017 at 7:58 am

‘I have one question only for Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’
Turn out to be a useless question.
A damp squib

Comments are closed.

Latest News