Appoint qualified diaspora specialists for postings in the USA

Oct 08, 2020 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I write to urge the Guyana government to appoint specialists in foreign affairs and diplomacy for vacant postings in the US. There are three vacant diplomatic postings in America: UN Rep, Ambassador to Washington and the OAS, and Consulate General of New York. The Consulate General of Miami, Mr. Ramzan Ally, should be retained as he is a long serving professional career service diplomat and has been doing a very good job.
My informed view and advice is that anyone who ran away from the PPP in 2015, and there are a few, after the party’s defeat should not be rewarded with a government appointment — not at the UN, not in the Foreign Ministry, and not to monitor foreign investment or in any of the three positions in the US.
Those positions should be filled with competent, qualified individuals skilled in the required areas of foreign service, international relations, community affairs, and diplomacy from among the diaspora. A criminologist or someone with a background working at a prison would not meet the requirement of serving as Consulate General. Someone working in labor relations or have had a running conflict with Guyanese groups in America would not meet the requirements of competence in foreign service and diplomacy at the UN, OAS, and as Ambassador or CG. Such individuals would be square peg in round holes and lead to disastrous consequences and public relations for the government.
Deserving persons should be appointed to these prestigious positions. Having lived in New York for several decades and been immersed in Guyanese community affairs and deeply involved in PPP support group political activism, there are a few names who are most qualified and appropriate to fill vacancies in Guyanese missions in America. They are Messrs Chuck Mohan and Flattie Singh, and Drs. Tara Singh, Baytoram Ramharack, Dave Rawana, Randy Persaud, and Vishnu Bisram. Chuck and Drs. Singh, Ramharack, and Bisram and Flattie have been quite active in community affairs in NY while Randy is based in Washington restricting himself to academia. Singh, Ramharack, and Bisram have had a consistent presence in the media, the latter more than the other two, writing on Guyanese related issues. Bisram writes almost daily and has connections globally. Dave works quietly behind the scene and assisted with penning press releases over the last few years and working closely with support groups. Chuck is more activist-oriented among American and immigrant groups. Very few from America have contributed more than Chuck Mohan and Flattie and Drs. Bisram and Ramharack in the struggle for free and fair elections in Guyana during the period of the dictatorship; they pioneered the anti-dictatorial movement in America during the 1970s. Dave Rawana was also involved in the FFE movement since the 1980s. Randy Persaud, Bisram, and Singh were closely involved in the struggle for FFE in 2020, particularly during the five months ordeal, helping to bring about that change on August 2 that led to the swearing in of Irfaan Ali as President. The President should appropriately reward them.
Chuck Mohan and Drs. Bisram, Singh, Ramharack, and Persaud are all qualified for a positing in America as they are all academics and educators par excellence. They are all trained in the social sciences and understand diplomacy and foreign service. Mohan, Persaud, Bisram, and Ramharack are experts in American foreign policy and international organizations like OAS and UN. Bisram, Persaud, and Ramharack have doctorates in international relations or politics from accredited reputable universities, making them amply qualified for the foreign service positions. Dave is a mathematician. They did not purchase degrees from diploma mills like others that call themselves doctor when in fact they did not attend universities. They studied in classrooms settings acquiring skills. Persaud, Ramharack, Rawana, and Bisram master how Washington and the UN, and OAS work. In addition, they lobbied members of Congress and the US Administration for free and fair elections in 1992 and 2020. They know how Washington works and have friends in the administration and diplomatic circles.
It would be ideal for the PPP administration to appoint one of the above or some other qualified personnel from the Guyanese diaspora in the US to fill vacant positions. The government would save money utilizing their skills and service. In addition, having a grounding in the community, they would get enormous support to champion Guyana’s interests. They are also deserving of positions have done so much in voluntary service to the nation for which we can never repay.
Yours truly
Ruben Khusial

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