Left Wingers are anti-American/anti Trump

Mar 19, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

In his retort stating that “Bisram is shortsighted”, I am, and other Guyanese are very pleased to read that Clement Rohee is no longer anti-American although he contradicts his feeling by condemning the American (Secretary Marco Rubio) position (of using pressure tactics) to purse democratization of Cuba (KN Mar 18). I am elated that Rohee acknowledges that Guyanese are not anti-American and that the nation is most grateful to the USA for the significant role played in restoration of democracy in Guyana in 1992 and protecting it in 2020; people like me lobbied Washington and other democratic nations that led to democracy in Guyana.

Rohee misread my missive or perhaps it was not clear. My regret! I was writing about the anti-Americanism and anti-Trumpism perpetrated by a handful of left wingers like Rohee and not the Guyanese people. My engagement with Guyanese in Guyana, USA, Canada, UK, Trinidad, Suriname, and elsewhere found favorable attitude towards USA. Our most important bilateral relationship is with USA and not Cuba, Russia, China, and Middle East, and Guyanese want us to cement ties with Washington. On that note, a group of us (Guyanese and Americans) in USA are championing the idea of Guyana entering into a relationship with the USA as an associated territory’ similar to that of American Samoa or Puerto Rico (with autonomy) or a Friendship Treaty in which Guyanese can freely travel back and forth between the USA and Guyana and legally work in America; undocumented in USA can acquire legalized status. I hope Rohee will join us in that effort to assist fellow Guyanese.

It is curious how Rohee came to the conclusion that Guyanese at home are not anti-America. Did he do a poll? One of Rohee’s socialist comrades recently disputed an account that over 90% of Guyanese have a favorable disposition towards USA. Is he a self-styled pollster? Rohee describes me as ‘self-styled’ pollster. There is no such thing. It is either you study polling and have significant experience conducting polls, making you a pollster or you never did a poll. I have been conducting polls and other surveys as part of my academic studies since around 1980 in multiple countries. Forty-five years of polling does not make one ‘self-style’. I am not aware of Rohee or anyone else in Guyana conducting polls. Rohee’s party and he himself cited those polls to buttress claims of popular support in Guyana.

Rohee is right that Guyanese Americans are not ungrateful for what USA has done for them from 1960s till now. Only a handful of Guyanese, including Rohee himself, who were or are anti-American. It is indisputable that the US has been very generous about Guyana and Guyanese allowing almost a million of us to come to USA to better our lives. Personally, I have been able to obtain a tertiary education (from age 17) and ditto tens of thousands of Guyanese that would not have been possible in Guyana during the 1970s; from USA I contributed significantly to the struggle for a free Guyana, a role Rohee did not play in forays in the east bloc.

It is shocking to now read Rohee is not anti-American although several of his recent missives had a tone of anti-Americanism; I am happy that he has seen the light. I hope Rohee’s new position towards USA is reflective of other (former) communist (socialist) comrades who sang anti-American anthem as they sought to build a communist state thru the 1990s. Guyanese grew up on a diet (from left wing politicians) that Soviet Union and Cuba (and later China) were our friends and America an enemy although almost every Guyanese was yearning to migrate to USA.  And there was hypocrisy of some that Guyana under Burnham and Hoyte should democratize but were silent on communist Cuba.

Rohee forgot that his colleagues often referred to me and those of us who fought communism as having “American colonialist and imperialist mentality”. His comrades (and himself) often described America as imperialist; some still do. They promoted a negative portrayal of the Americans until the cusp of restoration of democracy in 1992. He forgot that anti-Americanism was rampant (by his party) from the 1950s onwards, moderated during 1990s with some persistence thereafter.

He forgot that he and some comrades were engaged in very strong anti-US rhetoric at a time when a handful of us (those who were described as friends of colonialists and imperialists) in USA was involved in a struggle, appealing for Washington’s assistance, for restoration of democracy in Guyana. Soviet Union, east bloc, and China did not support restoration of democracy in Guyana although Gorbachev may have brokered a deal with Bush Sr. for return of democracy in Nicaragua in exchange for free and fair elections in Guyana. Other than that, it was ‘nyet’ from the east on the democracy front.

Whenever I encountered them, Rohee’s comrades still speak fondly of Soviet Union and the Socialist bloc and ‘the good life’ behind the Iron Curtain. Some still talk about American imperialism ‘wanting to control our sweet crude oil’, and they use “American Exxon Guyana”, and other denigrating terms to describe USA’s presence to shelter the country from outside military aggression. And Rohee also conveniently forgets that some Guyanese (of all parties) have pushed back against the US’s advocacy for constitutional reforms for more inclusive governance. America has consistently demanded that countries strengthen democratic institutions, curb corruption, and promote ethnic reconciliation. These reforms are crucial to promoting the values-based order in Guyana and the region. I support Washington’s position.

Rohee queries about my position on American sanctions against Cuba. Clearly, he is against the sanctions on Cuba as a pressure tactic to democratize that dictatorship.  And that in itself is anti-American. Cuba must become a democratic nation. It will be hypocritical of me to champion democracy in socialist (communist) Guyana and not same for Cuba or other anti-democratic nations.

I note that after Rohee’s tenure as General Secretary, the PPP post 2016 under Jagdeo’s leadership has been wisely courting America at the urging of a few of us in USA. It was my Indo Club in the 1970s thru 1990s that pleaded with Jagan to end the chill in US ties that ushered in democracy and the return of PPP rule in Guyana. Jagdeo is a wily, smart politician with no other in his class in Guyana, certainly not Rohee. Jagdeo’s policy has paid dividends. But over the last two decades, under all governments, Guyana has unwisely favored major investments of Chinese state companies over Americans. That is a grand mistake. Siding with Cuba, China, and Russia are reminiscent of images or acts of anti-Americanism and on March 17 President Trump so reminded regional leaders.

The anti-Americanism of the left, and aside from major investments from China, is not representative of the Ali-Jagdeo administration, which has generally sought to work with USA, reversing an unmistakable strain of anti-American skepticism that has coursed for decades across the mainstream political spectrum. That anti-Americanism never existed among the population who (almost everyone except the socialists) craved to migrate to USA. I am pleased that the Jagdeo/Ali duo ended the chill in US-Guyana relations and are seeking to strengthen ties that were once opposed by Rohee and his communist friends.

Yours truly,

Dr. Vishnu Bisram (PhD)

(Left Wingers are anti-American/anti Trump)

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• anti-American, democratization of Cuba, Guyanese people, USA

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