Never in Guyana’s history has a diplomat been so personally insulted by a politician

Jun 26, 2020 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

---

When Priya Manickchand confronted the US Ambassador in 2014, she broke protocol as a politician but her remarks were political. She criticized US foreign policy. What Sherod Duncan did a few days ago, ought to result in immediate cancellation of his visa and those of the leadership of the AFC by every friendly country including our own CARICOM region.
Mr. Duncan appearing on a public forum with Christopher Jones said something personally repugnant about the British High Commissioner that should never be uttered by politician of the ruling party. A ruling politician just does not say those things about a diplomat who belongs to a country that is an extremely close ally.
Even if it was an opposition politician still it would be an immoral action. The host country cannot treat a diplomat like that. Mr. Duncan is an executive member of the AFC and the ministerial spokesperson for Khemraj Ramjatan at Public Security.
I have always had a healthy friendly relation with Christopher Jones. I have always advised Jones that he has a future in politics and he must acquire a university education if he is going to climb the ladder. It was Jones who facilitated me to have my dog walk on the vast parapet of the Aquatic Centre. I remember a night, I didn’t have my pass and the security said he was instructed not to let anyone in without the pass.
Jones left what he was doing and came down to the Centre himself to facilitate me. I saw him as one for the future. He has a far better standing among the Guyanese people than Duncan who I believe is little regarded in Guyana. I watched as Duncan said nasty, personal things about the High Commissioner and immediately thought that Jones would upbraid Duncan. But he didn’t.
The CARICOM foreign ministries, the Indian, EU, British, Canadian, Argentine, Chilean, Chinese, Mexican diplomats and other diplomatic missions in this country should now move to cancel the visa of Duncan and his AFC colleagues. This man is in the executive of a party that runs Guyana. He is the aide to the Minister of Public Security. How can his government remain silent on his personal remarks on the British High Commissioner?
It is interesting to see what will be the reaction of President Granger. He has lost the election but legally he is still the care-taker president as pronounced on by the Caribbean Court of Justice. He has a moral obligation to the norms of international diplomatic behaviour to dismiss peremptorily Duncan from governmental service.
An apology from Duncan should not suffice. Mr. Duncan should suffer visa consequences. He went too far. Such personal attacks never happened in British Guiana and independent Guyana. If it was President Hoyte, Duncan would have been removed within minutes. Cheddi Jagan would never have tolerated a high-level government functionary saying such personal things about a High Commissioner.
Obviously, Duncan has to know that within weeks his party is gone from power, never to have power again. I am absolutely sure there will never be another APNU+AFC regime in Guyana. They say life is unpredictable but I cannot see the future existence of the AFC and I doubt whether the PNC can win another national election in 20 years from now.
Obviously, Duncan knows that he will have to face the consequences of his action and he will not be a ministerial aide when that time comes because there will not be an APNU+AFC government. Obviously, Duncan has to know that even if there isn’t an official visa sanction in the coming days, he will be blacklisted by the ABCE countries if and when he applies for a visa.
Duncan should go back and read up on the Manickchand incident. As unpleasant as it was, she never said anything personal about the character of the US Ambassador. Former Prime Ministers Bruce Golding and Owen Arthur have been viciously attacked by APNU+AFC leaders but the nastiness has been confined to political descriptions. PM Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and Mia Mottley of Barbados have come in for demonic denunciations from APNU+AFC leaders. But again the chastisements exist in the political sphere.
Duncan’s action was ugly, hateful, and insane. Decent persons in the AFC should immediately come out and condemn him. Failure to do so makes them equally uncivilized. The APNU+AFC first, second and third tier leaders are in self-destruction mode. They are engaged in horrible misconduct for which they should be made to pay a high price. They have lowered civilization in Guyana. They must be sanctioned.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

---

---