Dear Editor
THE media report that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has secured the services of an American lobbying group, Mercury Public Affairs, for Strategic consulting and management services…” is not surprising. It is yet another step by this political party, accurately described as “desperate” by your newspaper, in its attempt at regaining power.
One would have noticed the party’s extremes as it relates to its do-all-it-can efforts to grab political power that reached its treacherous pinnacle in the now infamous no-confidence motion vote, concocted in its party headquarters of Freedom House, under the guise of parliamentary democracy. And since the fallout from such a pernicious act has since been exposed with its principal actors now known and disgraced. Except to say, that the choice of such a lobby, now under federal investigation for its suspected part of collusion with Russia in destabilising the American democratic process in the run up to the 2016 American presidential elections, says a lot for the PPP/C’s well-known embrace of illegality, in deference to what is legally accepted. I am certain that the nation would recall the Bernard Kerik affair, which principal the Jagdeo administration had hired as its proposed security adviser, but whose shady dealings and lies to the White House, precluded him being considered for the US government’s cabinet as Secretary for Homeland Security. Eventually, he earned a four-year jail term for tax matters.

Even the foisting of the dubious “academic”, Irfaan Ali on the PPP/C as its presidential nomination, is another example of the PPP/C’s penchant for all things illegal, if not deception.

It is further noted, in what is definitely a defence of the choice of the tainted lobbyist, that Jagdeo spoke of ,“This is how American policy is shaped…’’. This may be true, in so far as it relates to lobbyists being hired by either of the big two American political parties, to aid in their individual election campaign efforts. However, if the opposition leader believes that the American justice system, and its citizens by extension knowingly countenance condone uphold support such domestic lobbyists being part of any conspiracy against its country and democracy, then he is highly mistaken, especially if he is being guided by what has been revealed in the Mueller investigation, with regard to the run-up to the 2016 American presidential election in relation to the Trump campaign. To say the least, it is not the new norm of American politics, but what has been definitely an aberration of traditional American democratic values, by a most unnatural intrusion in modern American presidential political history. And with the number of high-profile former Trump campaign personalities being found guilty and given jail terms, Jagdeo’s statement is another dark deception and attempt at distortion, seeking to justify his choice of the lobbying group he has hired.

But he further attempts to paper over another PPP/C illegality, by inferring that hiring the lobby “is a small one to pay for the protection of our democracy.”

This is the classical Jagdeo reverse psychology crookery, designed and wrapped in all its known package of devious PPP/C propaganda. Jagdeo is speaking about liberty’s most precious tenet, which he has never genuinely embraced, never believed in, or ever practised. For his natural instincts as both a politician and a former national leader for a bit over two terms, is well chronicled with behaviour patterns of intolerance to free speech, as his attacks on the media demonstrates; criticisms and dissenting views, often targeting those who dare to criticise him or his former administration. No doubt, that his persona is rightly branded as vindictive, from which his other proven attributes of being dictatorial and authoritarian has been well founded.

Since 2015, with the ascension of the coalition A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), there has been a new, welcoming fresh air of democracy, which winds have awakened a completely different understanding among the Guyanese people, to the type that had been stifled and existed during Jagdeo party’s 23 years in office. The fact that the state media carries in its pages, and on its news programmes, statements from Jagdeo et al that seek to denigrate the government unfairly, underlines the latter commitments that all voices will be heard. Editor, it is a matter of record that the PPP/C never allowed such a dispensation during its sojourn in office. Thus, Jagdeo cannot, and should not speak of “protection of our democracy”, when he does not have such a track record; and, was/is not a practitioner of its precious doctrines.

Regards
Earl Hamilton