A caustic response to a criticism

Jan 06, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
A great man once said that, ‘if someone is NOT attacking you, then it means you are NOT doing your job effectively’.
This is exactly what came to my mind when I read a missive which contained personal attacks on me in the press written by Mr Hari P. Beharry, a veteran politician who should have gained immense and diverse knowledge having taken trips with the UF, PNC, PPP, ROAR, and lately the AFC. He is currently with the URP.
If ever there was a ‘political rolling stone’ then Mr Beharry’s name should be mentioned foremost. However, not for a moment do I envy this ‘well endowed’ politician.
He was recently awarded ‘life membership’ with the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
First, Mr Beharry seems to be an expert financial analyst who knows exactly the areas in which taxpayers’ dollars are being wasted. In the past he had attacked both the Prime Minister and the Public Security Minister, telling them in no uncertain terms that they are ‘a waste of the taxpayers’ dollars’. Now it’s my turn, it seems. However, his attack on me stemmed from the fact that I highlighted the danger to life and limb from vehicles and other obstacles on the sides of the Corentyne Highway – a practice to which he is a guilty contributor.
Moreover, Mr Beharry’s puerile and baseless argument is punctuated by the fact that he admitted that ‘our road reserves should be kept clear’. At the same time I spoke about various species of animals roaming the roads. If he had read my letters carefully he would have gained some valuable insight that I wrote about. These as well, and the fact that when drivers took evasive action more often than not they collided with these ‘parked death traps’.
In recent times, two gruesome accidents took place in the Upper Corentyne area when the ill-fated drivers took evasive actions from these animals and slammed into these’ ‘parked booby traps’. I am appalled that Mr Beharry would seek to justify one wrong against another.
You should set an example and remove your parked vehicles from the road shoulders which present a traffic hazard to road users. Even in this 21st Century, the age of highly advanced technology, two wrongs still could never make a right sir!
Secondly, in terms of wasting ‘taxpayers dollars’, may I remind Mr Beharry that my Office deals with a varied and diverse assortment of over 200 complaints on a monthly basis. I would have directed THEM to the relevant authorities for action to be taken.
In addition, I am also a vital connection between the people and the Government. I am the ear and eyes of various ministries and I am the mouth of the complainants. I have done more for Region Six than all four Parliamentarians.
Please note, Mr Beharry that over 90% of the people do not know these MPs and nearly all never met them, much less ventilate any of their grievances to them. These MPs should have been targeted in your waste of taxpayers’ dollars analysis.
Lastly, if Mr Beharry is an ardent reader as he is an attacker of people, then he should be aware that in the very first press release which appeared in the Guyana Chronicle dated October 5, 2016 I gave due credit for idea of the #58/59 all-weather road project to Mr David Subnauth.
The release also mentioned that Mr Subnauth brought up this idea in 2006 when he was the President of the Upper Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I guess in his haste to nail me to the proverbial cross, Mr Beharry intentionally overlooked this piece of information. This exposed his true biased nature and blindness to an objective evaluation of facts.
Thirdly, may I remind Mr Beharry that I was instrumental on intercepting the 150 bags of fertilizers he mentioned and he should have complimented me for that but instead he is questioning me on the outcome of the matter which is the jurisdiction of the law enforcers.
I suggest that he writes the Commissioner of Police on the matter. This shows the confused nature of this individual; prosecution for a crime is for the police not Harbhajan.
Another point of confusion is: Why would Mr Beharry resign as an AFC RDC Councilor because of ‘corruption in the PPP’? He was representing the AFC and should have fought against the alleged corruption of the PPP, being a ‘veteran politician’ and all that.
However, I would like to suggest to Mr Beharry that he was forced to resign because of his’ non-contribution’ and abrasive character.
Lastly, as a ‘veteran politician’ and a ‘free lifelong member’ of the UCCI, Mr Beharry should now be setting an example by being objective in his contributions to society and his country as a whole.
“It is pardonable for children to yell that they believe in fairies, but it is somewhat sinister when the piping note shifts from the puerile to the senile”.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Gobin Harbhajan

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