One way to start healing is to recognize those who spread misinformation

Mar 08, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,
As we are now engaging in open discourse as to who should receive the “Order Of Democracy,” I must remark that it is necessary to put into perspective those who fought by whatever means, writing or recounting, against the attempts to rig the March 2020 elections.
However, in dissecting those attempts, we have to place into perspective those forces who justified the rigging or tried spreading false narratives to favour the coalition. Why? This election has opened the wound in this nation, exposing how divided and broken we are. And one way to start healing is by recognizing those individuals who spread misinformation as well as other forms of divisive rhetoric. I will call three names: Hamilton Green, Mark Benschop, Rickford Burke.
The latter two names, sat in basements in their homes in the United States spreading wanton misinformation nightly. They also utilized racist and divisive rhetoric. Benschop and Burke, night after night drummed into their supporters’ heads that PPP was rigging the election and stealing the government from the Coalition. They spread the false narratives of dead voters and migrant voters immunity due to their geographical location. They still refer to the new Government as “Installed” – spreading the narrative that the entire international community unseated the then Government and engineered the PPP into office.These extremists have played a vital role in using misinformation to divide the people of this country even further, like how Trump has brainwashed his supporters into thinking the election was rigged in favour of Biden. Further, these men spread racial narratives by trying to tell their supporters that they will be discriminated against, based on their skin colour, if the PPP is sworn in. This move would intimidate Afro Guyanese into supporting the PNC .
Hamilton Green, showed his slip clearly. This individual openly said on a radio interview with Benschop, “Put aside the constitution, put aside the laws. You are at this moment, and we hope for a long time, Commander-in-Chief.” This man openly called for the rule of law to be plundered. That level of extremism is unhealthy for Guyanese national unity. However, a schoolchild can tell that sort of language is inciting and divisive and destructive. In analyzing the five months rigging period, those who stood up for the antithesis of democracy and played roles in inciting and dividing Guyanese need to be recognized. For once, we recognize and ignore such demagogues, then we can foster healthy discussions and steps to healing at a national level. There are many individuals who played such a role, I only pointed out three of the most prominent.
Yours truly,
Suresh Kissoon.

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