Minister Ashni Singh provides a disingenuous, hollow, and cherry picking defence of burgeoning racist policies by the PPP

Sep 22, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Finance Minister Ashni Singh’s letter is quite misleading and a poor attempt to drag the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG) and the recent offer for me to be a member of Guyana Revenue Authority (VAT) Tribunal as the frontal issues.
Nowhere in my letter did I mention these two institutions. I focused on the burgeoning racist polices of the PPP administration.
Singh has my permission to disclose what he perceives as the nature and facts of the ‘dispute’ and state the facts as he knows them, instead of cherry picking and launching ad hominem attacks on me.
My letter published in ‘Stabroek News’, dated March 2, 2021, and captioned ‘The Administration must govern openly to reduce inequalities within and between groups of Guyanese.’ The letter obviously predates by over 18 months, my recent letters.
The March 2, 2021 letter substantially highlights the very same statements published in my letter on September 17-18, 2022, in ‘Guyana News Network’, ‘Village Voice’ and ‘Kaieteur News’, captioned: ‘Accelerated Racist Policies (ARP) against African-Guyanese.’
Singh’s ad hominem attacks on me, with phrases like:
-Rambling letter.
-Basic racist rhetoric peddled by Hinds
-High on rhetoric and devoid of facts.
-Opportunistic nature of Racist rhetoric.
-Pure self-interest and own narrow causes.
– Designated appointee to which ever post he covets.
-Recipient of which ever reward or recognition he craves.
-Recently adopted Ethnic Advocacy.
-Diversity is only served , in his mind, when he is the designated appointee to whatever post he craves.
These phrases have no leg to stand on and are unwarranted, disrespectful, gaslighting and beneath Singh’s intellect.
PPP sent their most accomplished Minister to respond to my letters on racism in Guyana, ICAG is a part of that racism, you can see it also in the banks and other corporations.
Singh states that my accusing the PPP of racism is devoid of facts, the reality is that if you are being drenched by rain, you don’t have to show facts that the rain is falling!
Privacy was thrown under the Truck by Minister Ashni Singh.
Imagine if I snitched out all the private discussions I’ve had with members of the two major parties! This would be heresy to me.
Also, Singh left out that one of the conditions for me to accept any offer, was that I have the option to reject or accept being appointed to serve on any entity.
After saying, ‘It is my considered opinion that Hinds is now opportunistically using the bully pulpit of racism to try to intimidate the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAG) to extend special treatment to him. Singh seems to contradict himself herein, by attributing that the casus belli of my letters and dissatisfaction, was due to his offer made within the last month, offering me a position to serve on the all-important VAT Tribunal’
I made it clear in my rejection or the offer, the following:
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Dear Ashni,
Appreciate you considering me for appointment as a member of the VAT Board of Review.
However, being Chairman of the Board/Entity does not appear to be included in the appointment; and being Chairman of the Board/Entity is a prerequisite for me to accept the appointment.
Also the VAT Board of Review is not a Board I am willing to serve on.
I am available and willing to serve as Chairman of other Boards/Organizations/Tribunals/Entities, that I consider consistent with my experience and service to Guyana.

Nigel
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I have received many offers to serve by the PPP, they were all rejected without prejudice. Primarily because of their subjugated nature.
My conditions were that I am the Head of the agency, the agency must have a budget, I must have the authority to hire and terminate!
It must be established and normalised in Guyana that African-Guyanese are not hewers of wood and drawers of water, and only fit for crumbs and scraps!
I’m absolutely not interested in ‘rubber stamping or window dressing’ positions that sends the wrong message to Guyanese, especially African-Guyanese.
With all of my flaws, many Guyanese respect the principled positions that I have taken over the last three decades in Guyana, on political-socio-economic issues.
Singh’s ‘scrambled eggs defense’ against my criticism of the racist policies of the current PPP administration, is akin to trying to fill a basket with water.
It seems based on his statements, that if I defend Indian-Guyanese (Multiple articles in the media making such defenses, including criticising how Singh was being treated in opposition), that’s okay, but if I defend African-Guyanese, I’m being racist.

Nigel Hinds

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