Dear Editor,

May the readers read these words carefully.

“While I acknowledge Rickford Burke‘s right to his opinion and his right to free expression, I am nevertheless deeply concerned that our government would condone and endorse this message.

I am alarmed that the government would allow this type of divisive message to be spread locally in our nation’s national newspapers, the Guyana Chronicle!”

That’s Gerry Gouveia on social media being emotionally distressed with Rickford Burke’s letter to the printed media, titled “The PSC has become a partisan political entity.” Mr. Burke argued a strong legal case for economic boycott of businesses supporting the PPP-PSC.

Gerry believes that only the private sector clowns should have a megaphone. I am surprised he hadn’t used his favourite word, “diaspora.”

Gerry may be mindful of reading a few books on American history which was duplicated around the world, that is, the right of the people to choose where and when they spend their hard-earned dollars. Economic boycott is the name. It was not divisive then. It cannot be divisive now. Just as Gerry– and by extension the PSC– has a “right” to be the mouthpiece of the PPP, Guyanese do have a right to decide who they financially support.

Many of all six races in Guyana have lived through the painful destruction and murder under the PPP. The emotional and economic wounds are still raw. For a non-profit organisation to be supporting the inflictors of those wounds is not only to add salt to the emotional lacerations, but also to try to place that very salt in their eyes, robbing them of that right to see what is the PPP-PSC ulterior motive.

Editor, it was only Thursday that the President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. William Warren Smith, had this to say, “Guyana was one of the fastest-growing economies last year. “I do not know much about business, but what I do know is that elections are bad for business, since by their nature, the election process can be divisive resulting in instability, which can negatively affect investments. The PPP-PSC had stated in 2015, when the PPP was in power, that election would not be in the best interest of the economy. Let’s assume the economy then, which I doubt since Guyana was essentially a narco-state with massive money laundering, in essence, a black economy, was doing well as it is doing now. Then if elections were bad for the illegal black economy then why are they good for it now?

The answer is there for all to see. For the PPP-PSC, this is not about the economy. This is not about Guyanese. This is about them, going back to the status quo of 2015,when money laundering and a narco-state where oligarchs flourished while the poor masses in Babu-Jaan, Linden, Buxton, Berbice, Georgetown etc suffered, living in shacks while the PPP-PSC swim in oil money in their mansions, swimming pools and private jets.

It is for this reason that I join Rickford Burke in encouraging all Guyanese to first do their own research. Read, be informed. Don’t take our word at face value. Don’t take the PPP-PSC word as face value. If after your research you arrive at the same conclusions as us, then I encourage all races to protest with their pockets those businesses that support the PPP-PSC. Vote with your paws, pockets and pittance.

It is not Gerry’s money as he may wish you to believe. It is your money to choose where, when and how you will spend it.

Poor people wake up.

Regards

Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc MRCP (UK) FRCP(Edin)
Consultant, Acute Medicine
Nottingham University Hospital
UK