Opposition’s diatribe laden propaganda

Feb 20, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor

Historically, in times of waning public support, it is not unusual for Opposition Leaders and surrogates to heighten their propaganda campaigns in hopes of mobilizing resistance to destabilize the government. In present day Guyana, recurrent propaganda campaigns are laden with diatribes, and stacked with unsubstantiated accusations, all of which focus on efforts to undermine the PPP/C’s government increasing national support and cross-cultural loyalties.

To the impartial reader of Guyana’s daily newspapers, such propaganda campaigns are regularly quite pronounced in the writings of Hamilton Green, Henry Jeffrey, and Lincoln Lewis. Almost every week, these individuals peddle their attacks, either against the Government, President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, or all three – regularly with the aim of generating discontent and distrust. To ascertain this claim, one can simply examine the past week’s letters to the KN editor.

In his letter entitled, “The effectiveness of a Constitution is dependent on the personnel in the captain’s deck,” (KN 2/11/24) Hamilton Green wasted little time in engaging in a tirade against the government – a tirade laced with three paragraphs of unattested propagandistic claims. Green punctuated his negativities with, “We live in a country…”followed with such statements as, “where morality is either trampled upon or trivialized… where persons vaulted into high office, seem not to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong… where the financial resources are allocated based on ipse dixit of the ruling cabal… where it appears that every effort is being made to frustrate workers in the traditional public service so that they take refuge by migrating to other countries. Giving the present government the opportunity to bring in others from certain places, obviously to change the demographics which existed from post-slavery” These are just a few examples.

In reading Hamilton Green’s heavy laden negative verbiage, one is left with the impression that he was providing testimony to Guyana’s realities during the Burnham, Hoyte, Green’s regimes. His “We live in a country” statements are apt descriptions of Burnham, Hoyte, and Green’s governing years. Thanks to Green for providing us the opportunity to vividly recall what Guyana was like during various PNC oppressive administrations. Without going into too many counter claims, let’s take Green’s accusation that the PPP is bringing in others into Guyana to change the country’s demographic landscape. Perhaps the Elder Green can tell us who invited the Nigerians, Antiguans, Jamaicans, and other Afro-West Indians into Guyana under the various PNC administrations. Why were they allowed to take up residence in Guyana? Who gave several of them small farm plots along the Linden Highway? Who invited Jim Jones and his religious cult to establish Jonestown in Guyana’s hinterland – sadly, nearly all of whom fell victim to cyanide-laced kool aid that ended their lives. Furthermore, who invited and sheltered Rabbi Hill and his band of thugs into the country, and why?

With the above in mind, let us take a quick examination of Henry Jeffrey’s letter, “The Vice President took teachers to Times Square,” (KN 2/13/24). Even at first glance, one readily sense Jeffrey’s propagandistic attack on the government as exemplified by his second sentence. As he states, “One could have spoken ad infinitum about this government being authoritatively classified as an autocracy without ordinary people having had the opportunity to understand the actual implications of this condition for their daily lives.” Jeffrey continued with his use of the word “autocratic” to describe the PPP and President Ali, for he said, “In its amoral and foolhardy determination to dominate Guyana’s political space the PPP has brought the autocratic reality into almost every home in Guyana… Only an autocratic regime such as the one at present headed by Dr. Ali would think it legitimate to frustrate and then totally ditch these constitutional and legal requirements…”

The reader quickly realizes that Jeffrey’s use of “autocratic,” is not only incendiary propaganda, but a pathetic misuse of the term to describe the Guyana government and Ali. One would expect the learned Dr. Jeffrey to know that at a minimum, an autocrat is an individual, or a small group of individuals who wield unlimited or absolute power, curtails civil liberties, and utilizes political oppression to control citizens. Customarily backed by a military, paramilitary force, or oft labelled “goon squad.” autocrats govern through intimidation, domination, and various forms of oppression.

As Guyanese of every political persuasion are aware, the PPP/C ascended into government through democratic and not fraudulent elections. And, that Irfaan Ali regularly engages citizens in a variety of local/national policy decisions. In addition, neither Ali, nor the PPP/C have utilized a military or paramilitary force to oppress the population, maintain power, or restrict civil liberties. Had they done so, Jeffrey would perhaps shiver at the thought of publicly attacking the government in his regular letters to the editor. Unless Jeffery is suffering from a deficit in long-term memory, he should be able to vividly recall the period of PNC rule when Burnham declared, “Paramountcy of the Party,” a time when Captain Blood terrorized citizens, and House of Israel leader, Rabbi Washington -an American convict- and his group of thugs instilled fear in the minds of Guyanese, followed by the murder of Father Bernard Darke, and the assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney. Was Guyana an autocratic state then?

Let’s turn attention to Lincoln Lewis who regularly endeavors to generate divisiveness among Guyanese and create distrust for the government through his Afro-centric propagandistic penchants. In his letter entitled, “Bharrat Jagdeo is out of order,” (KN 2/12/24) Lewis accuses the Vice President of “sowing seeds of discord in [Guyana] a nation striving to heal historical wounds from political conflicts…” Anyone familiar with Lewis’ letters to the editor would quickly realize that his statement is self-reflective, for, it is Lewis, and not Jagdeo who regularly “sow seeds of discord” between Afro and Indo Guyanese. I doubt whether Lewis is suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) which would explain his obliviousness to the fact that both Vice President Jagdeo and President Ali are the champion strivers for a humane, just, and unified Guyana, through their advocations of a One Guyana policies – policies that run counter to his (Lewis’) Afro-centric propagandistic inclinations.

From the foregoing, the reader can readily grasp the diatribe laden propaganda campaign efforts to create discontent and disharmony among Guyanese.In times of dwindling political support, it is not unusual for opposition leaders and surrogates to heighten their propaganda campaigns in hope of accruing benefits for themselves and not the people. Knowing this, Guyanese of every persuasion should be alert. Overlooked, or dismissed, the Opposition’s diatribe laden propaganda campaigns could be detrimental to Guyanese harmonious existence, the creation and solidification of a truly One Guyanese unity.

Regards
Narayan Persaud, PhD
Professor Emeritus

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