An interest in oil does not make Ramson a consultant

Jul 03, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Please allow me to clarify some misinformation about Charles Ramson Jr. I have noted in your dailies that Charles Ramson is being referred to as an oil consultant. Charles is no oil consultant. Charles may have an interest in the oil industry but that does not make him an oil consultant.
Dr. Jan Mangal, the former government adviser on oil is an oil consultant. Dr. Mangal is an Oil & Gas professional with worldwide experience of nearly 20 years. Dr. Mangal has background in project management, decision analysis, facilitation, project economics, and a PhD in offshore geotechnical engineering from Oxford University. That’s an oil consultant.
Charles did a one-year postgraduate diploma in oil. That does not qualify anyone as an oil consultant. Comparing his qualifications with that of Dr. Mangal is like comparing chalk to cheese. In any other oil producing country the closest Charles would get to the oil industry is supervising high school dropouts at a petrol station.
I have noted a letter written by one Mr. Harry Gill, who described an email sent by Charles. I will quote the email verbatim “I know the feeling of giving your all in a team and others not pulling their weight and it’s being allowed to happen.
“Imagine how I felt when as an MP I gave my all to this and when I got a prestigious scholarship to study an area, which we need for the country and will be beneficial to the team and asked for leave and so many “leaders” did not support the application. I had support from Luncheon and a couple others but Anil and BJ and Irfaan did not support. It’s disheartening and discouraging.”
Seriously Charles? What prestigious scholarship? Let me provide a background to that scholarship. The British Government provides at least 500 of those scholarships annually to Commonwealth third world countries. In essence, the British have this guilt for centuries of exploitation of third world countries during slavery and colonisation. They do not want to pay reparation.
As a result they provide those countries with pittance which comes in the form of financial loans and scholarships. These scholarships are aimed at developing professionals who will return to their countries with a view to developing them.
These scholarships are not offered on a competitive basis where the brightest and smartest get them. The countries identify the professionals and once they meet the minimum requirement for the UK university they are offered the placement. So who gets those scholarships in Guyana? The rich and politically connected. Not the brightest and smartest.
So Charles stop deluding yourself. That was not a prestigious academic scholarship. It was pittance from the British Government.
Charles you may not know Roger Arjoon from QC. He was a Guyana scholar and got a prestigious scholarship i.e the Rhodes scholarship. That scholarship is international and competitive. A previous recipient was Bill Clinton. It offers the opportunity to study at Oxford University. That is prestigious.
The reason why Charles and I had our falling out was because I said the PPP was corrupt. Charles took offence at this so I said to him that “clearly you are one of the beneficiaries of this corruption so you would not agree with me.”
He threatened to sue me. Now I’ve read a statement released by Charles over the weekend where he is now making allegations of corruption under the PPP. Tell me Charles what did you do about it when you were their pals? Why did you get so angry when I highlighted it? I get very angry when I see PPP members talk about corruption in the party when they do not get their way.
Quite frankly I have no time for them. They kept their silence when they were benefiting, therefore they should not complain when they have a grievance with the party. If I had my way I would prosecute all of them when they complain.
Charles has this very big ego. He is arrogant and has these grandiose ideas of self. He is deluded and believes he is destined to rule. Charles is symptomatic of the ‘ruling class’ in Guyana who has this belief of entitlement.
I was part of a QC whatsapp group. We had a debate and I made a point. One of the aristocrats deemed my opinion to be stupid and ignorant. I took it as a personal attack. The rest of the group kept quiet. I responded, “As an aristocrat who was brought up in a cocoon of riches and privileges, you do not know the realities of the poor Guyanese.”
One of his fellow aristocrats took umbrage to me calling him aristocrat. She was quiet when he called my comments stupid and ignorant. As a result she verbally attacked me. I ask her if she is now the President of the Union of Elitist. They then all attacked me. I refer to them as being members of the Royal Society of endangered aristocrats. The attacks continued.
One of my former QC buddies who has a few CXCs made a personal attack on me and felt cool in himself and made the comment ‘ drop mic’. I suggested to him now that he has dropped the mic he can pick up a few books and educate himself, attend a few academic conferences and read a few journals after which I would give him the opportunity of debating my 10-year-old daughter.
They were all offended, not offended by what I said but who was saying it. Because I came from a family of beggars and thieves I should have known my place. I went through this long preamble to make the point that Charles is not alone. Lots of the rich kids are like him–.arrogant, pompous, have this belief of entitlement, think that only their voices should be heard.
Charles will never become president. If by some stroke of luck he does he will be another dictator like Burnham. At least Burnham had the intellect and would never have said ‘battylion’ in parliament. Neologism.
Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc MRCP(UK)

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