The Govt. should have invited the Opposition for Flag Raising Ceremony

Mar 11, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan as an Ambassador for Peace and one who believes in crossing the threshold in respect and goodwill; to create an ambiance of national goodwill, harmony and love for the nation. As one who believes in the principle of elegance, decency and communication that is as one, my heart aches.
I’m extremely disappointed that the Government of Guyana did not invite the opposition to attend such an important and grand event, at the National Flag Raising Ceremony Celebrating our 52nd Anniversary. I find it extremely painful in my heart. The reality is Guyana belongs to all of us. Parliament is the parliament of the people, Guyana is the country of the people, the Government is the Government of the people and the Opposition is the Opposition of the people all elected by the peoples of this country and therefore, the peoples who elected the opposition members of parliament also need to be granted adequate and elegant respects.
No one can tell me that an entire Ministry or the committee selected to attend these grand celebrations of our National patrimony would forget to invite the entire Opposition. In my opinion if there is a committee involved in this then that committee needs to be disbanded and seriously disciplined and the head of the committee terminated. I am a respecter of Hon. Minister Charles Ramson who is a vibrant, dynamic, most intellectual youth. That he would not know that the Opposition was not invited, and it may be that he and others know that the Opposition was not invited that is why they are still quiet about it. The entire Government must understand that such little matters create the divisions of our people, because the people who have voted for the Government are emotionally charged for the PPP/C Government. The people who have voted for the Opposition are emotionally charged for the Opposition and therefore, to create this nexus of harmony we need to show respect for each other.
I believe that somewhere along the line it is a kind of act of vengeance! I have been taught in the system of ‘Sanatan Dharam’ or the eternal laws of the Dharmic Religions that ‘revenge (intaqam) is the worst of causes.’ One has to display major respectability by providing maximum passion for goodwill and harmony, so that we could walk with each other and create this camaraderie, this harmony instead of staying in our various camps picking and biting at each other and no one creates the atmosphere for communication. In human nature and destiny we can see throughout history that the best way to resolve crises is by communication. Once we can talk to each other we can develop the platform for maturity and growth. So where does the problem really lie, editor and readers of this piece by me?
We may recall in 2016 when we had the Jubilee at the now infamous abominable D’Urban Park Stadium – that they were trying to create – in which there was masked mass corruption, thievery and poor vision, but that is not the point. My point is that on the Jubilee, a total historical celebration, something historical in which we invited Guyanese of the Diaspora and many people from foreign countries were there to celebrate with us the 50thAnniversary, the Jubilee celebration for Guyana. When the opposition then the PPP/C arrived they were totally disregarded, no one was there to take them to their seats, and they had to find their way in a humiliating manner and seats were not made available for the contingent. That was a thing of total national disgrace, humiliating to the core for a party that is known to have more than 50 percent of support in this country and lost barely by the skin of their teeth under suspicious circumstances, not to be properly welcomed and led by an usher of calibre to their seats. To humiliate them and have them standing by was bad enough and if I may say unforgivable.
This might have been one of their reasons. I have another reason and you all do too, that some people have long memories and they would want tit for tat. Hence, I will not be surprised now. We know for a fact that the Government of Guyana was fully and properly elected by the majority of persons in this country. If there was an alliance and the alliance could have far reaching connections that decide, then so it might have been. A committee or one man thing could not have such capabilities. It had to have been an alliance with far reaching connections that had the ability to make such a decision to not invite the entire Opposition. The Hon. Lenox Shuman, the holder of one seat with a conglomeration of parties was invited electronically and via hardcopy, yet the entire opposition was not invited. This does not make any logical sense, in my opinion. The person who made that decision erred. It was a tactical error, whether it was due to vengeance for the Golden Jubilee, tit for tat, humiliation for humiliation or something else. Now what is the something else? Let us articulate.
We know for a fact that the government of Guyana was fully and properly elected by a majority of people with over 200 observers in this country of which I was one, and for the first time in my life I had to raise my voice as an independent person sitting on behalf of an independent constitutional institution of this country. I had to sit there and witness the worst form of skullduggery and thievery to steal a government. The lies and the cheating! Even telling a lie that (now Excellency) Irfaan Ali went in with a team of people with guns in their hands and yet can you imagine ladies and gentlemen, just imagine and the police would not arrest him. There were tons of police and undercover agents of the PNC there and somebody just lied to Mr. Harmon who pushed it. So this is the level of thievery when all the observers were chased out of the building under threat of arrest in the attempt to steal the nation.
When the Minister of Foreign Affairs invited all the Foreign Observers to a meeting and actually threatened to withdraw their accreditation unless they posted favourable remarks about the APNU+AFC. When we were no longer allowed to go in more than one, then two at a time to witness the situation of the attempted theft of a Nation a false declaration was made by the Region Four Returning Officer and put through because of the same APNU+AFC, Moses Nagamootoo, Ramjatan group to international shame causing Guyana to be looked down upon again as we did for 28 years under the PNC government. Once again we are being looked down upon and our respectability erased in Guyana and around the world. We had to go to a recount. CARICOM had to intervene to conduct that recount and all kinds of things were put in place to try to create strange voting from nonexistent beings and aliens. The heartache and trauma, the waste of resources I would not be surprised if it cost hundreds of millions for that recount. Then when the Government was voted in the Opposition boycotted it, the Opposition refused to recognise His Excellency the President Dr. Irfaan Ali, even though the United Nations with over 160 countries and all other independent nations inclusive of the European Union, inclusive of the African Caribbean Pacific Nations, African Pacific Nations, The Mandela’s Elders Group of South Africa accepted, all the South American Spanish speaking nations accepted. Except this one puny institution called the PNC/R now a conglomerate of strange parties together called the APNU refused to accept and so they keep on doing things in a manner to cause the Government to want to fall.
Therefore, friends and family, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. /Ms. Editor we have to bear in mind that this is a painful thing in our country and this could have been the other cause. Now please allow me to elucidate a little more.
Now the elections of the PNC/R came into bearing, I supported Aubrey Norton because I thought he would have come with some fresh new ideas. The previous clandestine operatives within the PNC/APNU have been ejected and rejected and put to shame. The new leader of the PNC/R said the Government is in power and it is the government of the day but then turned around and said he still does not accept that it is a legitimate Government. So all the while I’ve been encouraging him to come around and try to impress on his people to do the right thing and follow the world but for some reason or the other they continue as an odd man out to disrespect the international and GECOM decisions. Fortunately former President Excellency David Granger concurred with the GECOM. They are still misbehaving, jumping in Parliament, throwing tantrums, stealing the Mace, lawlessness, lewd vulgarities for which some of them have been criminally charged and even suspended from Parliament.
So this is what is happening and this is the second reason I believe why the government does not see them as National Developmental Partners or developmental partners in national growth and patrimony. So in a way the APNU has to understand as they are disrespecting the government how would they expect the Government to respect them?
With all of that said and done I still believe, the government especially the government of President Dr. Irfaan Ali while they may have hardcore operatives within the government and their party who would like to go contrary, I believe His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali should have ensured that the Opposition was welcomed to create the pathway for goodwill, love, peace and harmony to give it a chance to grow and to develop and from that we could truly come around and about and build a nation of greatness and mutual respect for Opposition and Government. I am somewhat disappointed and I wish the moment could have been recalled and corrected.
Ladies and gentlemen I speak as a professional here, as a Muslim leader to whom people around the world listen to, as an Ambassador for Peace for all peoples and in which situations like these we need to cast aside our political hate and disharmony. I always believe in a one world society and I wish that we could have a National Front Government, but how can we have a national front government when we have an opposition that completely detests you and does not accept you as a government? If you are to work with them they will do everything possible to decimate the nation and society and possibly to destroy and create mayhem in the land.
Cooperation and development of our peoples and beloved country is required to take them to great heights, success and peaceful coexistence.
I call upon the Government and the Opposition to try to find this nexus, a technique needed to make this successful. The opposition has to recognise the government of Dr. Irfaan Ali and let us develop a land of love and harmony.

Yours Truly,
Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.

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