Dear Editor,
THERE was a time when I was very popular among the PPP supporters. On social media, friendship requests from those in red were literally becoming mountainous like the Pakaraimas. They saw me as another convenient token; another $60,000, five-minute government critic.

Little did they know that I was just being objective — calling a spade a spade. If the government did good then I was happy to compliment them, but would not hesitate to reprimand them if there was a need to. That’s foreign to them. All of them.
One of the characters who sent me a request on Facebook was Annan Boodram, a Guyanese who resides in America, and plays a critical role in articulating Caribbean Voice views, in the print and electronic media. Of course, I accepted because I do not see colour or race. Annan was curious about this apparent enigma, so he would engage me in regular facebook chats. Little did he know that he was opening up himself to deep scrutiny by the former QC chess player. I played my moves after a detailed thought process. I found out that Caribbean Voice is apolitical, essentially was established to address mental health issues. My turn to provide some information, Trump-like quid pro quo. “ I am a doctor.” That impressed him, so a request was made for me to join. Still in chess mode, I requested a pause before I commit to my next move. He concurred. I recognise this marriage may be difficult since I have much to lose. I requested a prenup, “please provide me the list of those holding senior positions in Caribbean voice.” I sense an unease akin to a nervous digital deep inhalation. Procrastination was Annan’s next move. Weeks of procrastination. The list came, I scrutinised it like Justice Singh. The list was bloated with only PPP party members. Just to be certain, I checked the meaning of the word apolitical again. The list was lengthy, but I can recall Dr Frank Anthony and Gail Teixeira were among the PPP members. I continued my forensic examinations and discovered that no government representative was on the list. Claims and objections my next option. Claims and objections I did. Why no member of the government is part of this very important group? I queried. Annan assured me that he had extended invitations but they all had refused. It did not make sense, so I hit the pause button.

Then something interesting happened in Guyana. Bharrat Jagdeo’s third term ambitions were burnt to ashes in a crematorium in Trinidad.  Many were unhappy and voiced it on facebook. Annan was also livid. No ordinary livid. Fire dragon livid. He argued that the CCJ is predominantly blacks, so they would never support an Indian case. I was shocked, so I engaged him to have a better understanding of his tangled thoughts.  He was in no mood for turning and I was in no mood for burning bridges, that is. He also went on a rant about the 400+ blacks who were murdered under Jagdeo’s watch. He said it never happened and it is a fiction of our imagination. Shocking! I decided not to join Caribbean Voice, since I sensed I will be outnumbered and voiceless.

Why I bring this up now? A few months ago the government was championing, and rightly so, the positives they have achieved since in power. One area identified was reduction in suicides. The PPP- aligned Caribbean Voice would have none of it. They came out, steaming from both ears in a hyperpyrexic state, shouting “it is not the government.” It was their brilliant work. Does it really matter who orchestrated this reduction? I don’t think so. Why would Caribbean Voice be so anal about grabbing the accolades. Simple. They are an arm of the PPP. Mr. Editor, you would know that on the back pages of the Chronicle there are many suicide lines; this was initiated under this government. I had reason to contact them when a relative of mine was experiencing a mental health crisis. They were very professional. Very professional. They contacted my relative directly and within 48 hours she was able to see a counsellor. Again, that is this government’s initiative. I say this not to give the government brownie points, they don’t need it, but to highlight the fact that Caribbean Voice under Annan’s guidance, that is masquerading as a mental health advocacy group, is actually an arm of the PPP.

Here is my main reason for writing today. It is to address a letter written once again by Caribbean Voice that is in the Kaieteur News. The letter is titled, “What constitutes an anti-suicide campaign?” This was in response to a headline in the Chronicle titled, “Minister Broomes on ‘anti-suicide’ campaign at Linden schools.”  Caribbean Voice then wrote a lengthy, likely googled, epistle of what constitutes a suicide campaign.
There was just one problem. Anti-suicide campaign was in uplifted commas; therefore, the term should not be taken literally. Minister Broomes recognised this, the author of the Chronicle article recognised that but the author for that PPP-aligned Caribbean Voice did not recognise this. That’s OK. That problem can be easily solved. Next time the uplifted commas would be coloured conspicuously red, the author’s favourite colour, so it can be easily recognised.

Finally, to Caribbean Voice. Before you try to lecture any of our ministers, I would suggest that you work on your grammar and punctuation. Stop being google psychologist and google mental health counsellors. Do that and you risk being drawn out from your enclave for a public humiliation. Mental health is a very serious issue. It is not an issue to score political points on. Minister Broomes was consoling kids who had endured two suicides this year. What has Caribbean Voice done? If that organisation really wanted to help, they would have reached out to Minister Broomes and those kids. They never did. They rushed to debate psychological semantics in the media while many take their lives. Shame on you. Shame on all of you. You wish to challenge someone, then leave the honourable hard working minister alone and challenge me; let me give each and everyone of you a well deserved intellectual public-stripping.

Regards
Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc FRCP(Edin) FRCP(UK)