Ramjattan’s Carpe Diem-Freddie Kissoon is proving to be PPP/C’s liability

Nov 20, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – On Nov 18, 2023, Kaieteur  News reported  that the “Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, at a press conference … told reporters that the party has furnished a US fact-finding delegation with information on racial and political discrimination in Guyana.” I mean this is serious and I can understand why.

The details are well known as the visiting team, headed by Dr. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, “… was presented with a number of documents …  with ‘evidence’ to support allegations of ethnic and political discrimination by the People Progressive Party Government, in the areas of contract-awarding, arbitrary termination of public servants’ contracts, appointments of senior posts at the State level, and the distribution of State resources.”

Wow! Time for proof, and here is where the PPP/C must explain a few things, or be found wanting.

Editor, Ramjattan, on the authority of Freddie Kissoon, is positing that “PPP’s ‘discriminatory’ practices were not of recent vintage” as detailed extensively  in his “Ethnic Power and Ideological Racism.”

This is where I want to know if Freddie Kissoon will re-cant, re-explain, or admit that he simply does not know what he is doing; or maybe he just hated the PPP/C then and now has no recourse. Whatever unfolds, Freddie remains a liability. His present catamite-like, PPP/C devotee stand still leaves a huge contretemps for the PPP/C. it is unsettling to say the least.

So let me list.

Kissoon’s ‘Plural Model’ explanation, covering the pre-1992 era (People’s National Congress’) “…provided social stability, since each ethnic community was content with their sphere of influence.

Additionally, according to the ‘Chief Evidence Provider,’ “… ethnic communities found protection for their future existence in their own political parties.” Like I pointed out, that was pre-1992. “However, with the advent of the PPP/C and its tenure up to 2015 …. (according to Freddie Kissoon), a “Fundamental shift, pregnant with disastrous possibilities” started unfolding. Why?

For Freddie, “It was the attempt by the Administration (PPP/C of course) … to do away with the, “Plural Model.”  Thus, the horrible consequences of ‘racial discrimination’ ensuing.

Here are Freddie’s results; look at his evidence, now in hands of the delegation:

“98 percent possession of land, commerce, financial houses, the import and export trade and in general, wealth,” belonged to Indo- Guyanese.  This phenomenon, Kissoon said, occurred with the increased presence of Indo-Guyanese in state sectors and “by decreasing most manifestly the Afro- Guyanese presence in totality in state sectors.”

“Various sectors were included in his research including, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Customs and Excise office, the University of Guyana Council among others.”

“Statistically, that under Jagdeo’s watch, Indo- Guyanese predominance was facilitated into the upper echelons.”

“Sixteen Afro-Guyanese administrators all being replaced by Indo-Guyanese.  At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kissoon said his research showed that 15 Afro-Guyanese administrators were removed and replaced with Indo-Guyanese workers.”

“At the Customs and Excise office, Kissoon again, with the use of research material, said that at about 42 Afro-Guyanese holding pivotal departmental positions were replaced by Indo-Guyanese.”

My ‘enough is more than enough,’ and I hardly dipped into the what is available for public scrutiny, proffred by Kissoon, and tendered to the delegation.

The delegation also has “Other documents included in the McDougall Report, another entitled ‘Economy and Justice in Guyana’ by prominent attorney, Nigel Hughes, IDPADA-G’s responses to the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African descent.

Ramjattan cannot be ignored. Freddie must explain.

The big quarrel is that of “Government’s unaccountability and non-transparency since 2021 when, “it has sought to hide information as to who have been the recipients of the Covid Relief, the Fisherman’s Relief, the second severance payment to sugar workers, and the Flood Relief.”

For Ramjattan, “… there is reason to believe that Afro-Guyanese as well as political opponents of the PPP/C Government are discriminated against in the relief programs, since the government is reluctant to make the names, addresses and amounts given to each respective recipient public.”

Editor, I rest my case. Maybe it is time for an ‘urgent COI.’

Yours truly,

 Deodat Singh

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• Deodat Singh, Freddie Kissoon, Khemraj Ramjattan, Letters

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