Ramotar needs political and moral credentials to criticise

Apr 04, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,

I read with both amusement and varying degrees of contempt a letter written by former President, Donald Ramotar, published under the caption, “Chronicle halt on Hinds’ and Lewis’ columns was inevitable”. In his missive Ramotar sought to lecture David Hinds and me on the political practice of Walter Rodney, democracy, race, and dictatorship.
As a practitioner of politics it will be remiss of me to take the position that I am beyond criticism. Similarly, it will be foolhardy of me to believe that every position I have taken in my more than four decades in the political struggle of the country, has been flawless and that I am beyond being taught anything politically by my peers.
To assume those postures will be misplaced arrogance of the highest order, on my part. Throughout my political life I have been guided by and have adhered to the principles of criticism and self-criticism. While I do not seek to set standards for other political people to follow, I would expect that persons like Donald Ramotar, who seek to admonish me, will at the least, bring to the debate, political and moral credentials consistent with their criticisms.
On this score, I submit here that Mr. Ramotar does not and cannot lay claim to possessing, either or both of these requisite credentials.
For 23 years this self-proclaimed honourable gentleman and his comrades in the PPPC, including former President and now Secretary General of the Party and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Bharrat Jagdeo, misruled the country.
During their tenure, Guyana experienced the rise of the criminal state, and the decimation of the working class. Workers found themselves in the worst condition ever in the modern history of this nation and, because of the PPP’s rape of the Industrial Relations process, were unable to defend their interests.
Race relations were deliberately manipulated to the advantage of the new barons in the PPPC. The nation saw the unprecedented transfer of wealth from the state to segments within the race group from which the PPP derived its support. For most of its tenure in office the ruling PPP’s criminal conduct was further highlighted by its sponsorship of racial/state-sponsored extrajudicial killings which culminated in the slaughter of more than 400 citizens, most of whom were African young men.
Mr. Ramotar has been at the centre of power in Guyana for the duration of the PPP’s 23 years in government. Like all the other leaders of his party who occupied the seats of power during that time, neither he nor his party did anything to significantly advance the fortunes of the other race groups in Guyana, in spite of how much they have pretended to have done so.
They failed and in fact, did not attempt to transform Guyana into a united progressive nation with an increasing working class that was better organized to defend its interests. For a party which prided on calling itself the vanguard of the working class, its leaders left the working class in a worst state than when it took office n 1992.
It is not surprising that Ramotar deemed me a racist.This is not the first time he had done so. He claimed in his letter that my concerns are only with African interests. Even if his statement is true what is wrong with me assuming that posture?
Ramotar and others in the PPP leadership are aware that his utterance is nothing more than a statement of convenience that is intended to deceive readers.My political history speaks volume for itself. It can stand up honourably, to any objective assessment.
The same cannot be said for many of my detractors inside and outside of the PPPC. I say without fear of contraction that if Guyanese had practised the racism that I have been accused of practising, Guyana would have been a much better country today.

Tacuma Ogunseye

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