Christopher Ram, Apaan Jaat is long dead and thankfully so

Dear editor,
THEY seem to have formed a tag team to attack H.E President Granger. Freddie Kissoon was first out in skin-fitting shorts which I can tell you was not a pretty sight. Full of energy and anger, he launched a full scale attack but our President, forever lean, fit and proper, dealt with him with his usual dignity and class which infuriated the failed academic. With blood-red eyes he attacked Mr. Granger below the belt on several occasions. The spokesman at Ministry of The Presidency intervened at the underhand tactics by the now exhausted Freddie, voicing serious concerns about his unsportsmanlike conduct. As a result, in hyperventilating state, he decided to tag his partner.

And he entered the ring, looking worse for wear, with silver fox hair and red shorts which cut a sight that would give the most formidable mentally, enduring nightmares. His attacks were threefold, reflecting his three failed professions. His first line of attack was a feeble uppercut of oil and gas. The electorate listened to his incomprehensible mumblings and quickly reminded him that it would take more than a one year sojourn at Reading University to convince them that he understands the basics of oil and gas. Embarrassed and emasculated, he tried a straight right on legal issues pertaining to oil and gas. The electorate dealt with it more aggressively and with the disdain it deserves. In no uncertain terms they said they will not listen to a geriatric junior attorney on matters of the law. The spokesman for the group shouted, “it’s either Nigel Hughes, a Senior Counsel or a Queens Council. Anyone else would just have to suck it up.” So the man universally known as Christopher Ram, aptly named after the grass-eating mammal, tried his final trick. He confabulate some numbers but by this time the stadium was empty apart from his coach, Glenn Lall. With no spectators, he sauntered home a dejected old man. You see, Christopher Ram never recovered from being in a cohort of six that Mr. Granger considered not fit and proper. Mr. Granger was referring to the group and Christopher took it personally. The group was selected by the Champion of Oil when he was tasked with selecting six fit and proper nominees for the President.

Reasons for re-election
Today, the vexatious Christopher Ram presented himself in the Stabroek News stadium in full battle gear with the inscription, “Why I cannot support David Granger” emblazoned across his chest. That’s fine Christopher, the majority of the electorate will and here are a few reasons why.

1. Guyana is one of the fastest growing economy in the world.
2. Over 100 major companies in America are breathlessly waiting to invest in Guyana
3. Guyana is one of the top-rated countries in terms of corruption reduction
4. There is massive improvement in the health service in terms of infrastructure. Health centres being built, hospital being built, doctors accommodation being built with a $285M GPHC staff quarter opened last week. Water ambulances for the Hinterland. Maternity homes pregnant mothers in the hinterlands. Waiting times at A&E decreased. Infant mortality decreased. Maternal mortality decreased. Oncology service being developed. And much more [in] the field of public health.
5. Infrastructure development at a record high. Roads being built in the hinterlands. Road development throughout Guyana. Newly-built passport services in Berbice and other regions. Newly-built post office services in Berbice and other regions. Overhead bridge on the East Bank. Bridges in the hinterland.
6. Public servants enjoying a 75% increase in pay. Increase in pension.
7. No extrajudicial killings. No phantom squads. Guyanese feel free than they have felt in 23 years. Guyanese are alive and not shot dead by phantom squads.
8. Taking the judiciary to the rural areas. Courts being built including rape courts. Victims do not need to travel to Georgetown for justice.
9. Electricity supply in areas of Guyana that never had electricity. Bartica now enjoying a better electricity supply. Many communities are also. Potable water in many communities that never had.
10. Improvement in examination in all areas but moreso the hinterlands. School buses and school boats for free transport with family saving thousands of dollars per month. Free school meals. New schools built especially in the Hinterlands. Chris, and there are many more.

So those are some of the reasons why Guyanese will throw their resounding support behind Mr. Granger. Shall we examine Christopher ram reason not to?  Essentially, Christopher is on a hormonal rant with no specifics. As a result, I would struggle to address the issues raised, but I will try. In the first two paragraph of rants, Christopher was focused on race and race issues. He labelled Mr. Granger as divisive. This is rich coming from a man who was caught on tape saying disparaging things about Afro-Guyanese, something that Mr. Granger never did about Indo-Guyanese.

An examination of Christopher Ram
Christopher, on his race rant and lies stated, and I will quote him verbatim, “His administration has retained all Afro-Guyanese permanent secretaries inherited from its predecessor while removing all the rest.” This statement is a blatant lie and an implied lie. It is a blatant lie that this administration selectively kept Afro-Guyanese Permanent Secretaries while terminating the contracts of others. That’s a blatant and disgusting lie and I challenge Christopher Ram to provide name and numbers of PS who were retrained and fired. Also, I would challenge Chris to provide any evidence of steps he took to address these allegations that he is now making e.g. reporting to ERC.

I would also challenge Christopher Ram to provide evidence of any legal case taken against this government by such PS who he claims were racially discriminated and were unlawfully dismissed. Christopher is also implying that the previous administration, which predominantly looked like him, had significant numbers of Afro-Guyanese which were retained by this Government. That’s a lie since only a small minority was Afro-Guyanese. The fact is that under PPP, the permanent secretaries were predominantly of one race but of course Christopher would not say that was divisive because those PS under PPP looked like him. And Christopher, I can remember PS Brotherson being dismissed by this Government, so surely your argument that all Afro-Guyanese were retained by this government is falling apart. Christopher, let’s look at divisive politics.

Under PPP, there was never an Afro-Guyanese ambassador overseas for twenty-three years. That was not divisive Chris because they looked like you. For state contracts, Christopher, those that received them looked like you. That was not divisive because they look like you. GPHC, where I was employed, I saw a complete clean-up of the hospital hierarchy. That was not divisive Chris because they looked like you. The Berbice Bridge and radio licences only one group dominated Chris but then again that was not divisive because they looked like you. Christopher, what about the scholarships offered that UNDP wanted to investigate but the PPP kept the data from them. Chris, most of the recipients of those scholarships looked like you so that was not decisive [sic]. The same apply to fellowships Chris, the majority of the recipients looked like you, so that was not divisive. Those over 1000 murdered under PPP were predominantly Afro-Guyanese but then again the victims did not look like you, so it was not divisive. Based on your racist position, the more Afro-Guyanese murdered would make you a happy man since your type dominates. Chris, who said, “let us take our country back” and what was the racial makeup of the group he was addressing? Let me help you race blind Chris, they looked like you so that was not divisive? And Chris, the permanent secretaries under PPP were predominantly of one race. That’s not divisive Chris because they look like you.

Chris, which racial group was making most complaints of discrimination? That’s okay Chris, they did not look like so it was not divisive.

Constitutional law
Chris, you said that Mr. Granger was in breach of the constitution. Look what, I do recognise that as a geriatric junior lawyer your understanding of the law is limited but let me share this with you. To simply state the constitution was breached without stating which aspect of the constitution was breached and which legal experts in constitutional law who supported that position along with providing sound legal arguments, would be as useless as this piece of racist garbage you called a letter. What I do know is [that it is] illegal to throw court papers over your shoulder, but of course you do not think that was divisive, since those in power looked like you. Chris, and what about the 1997 elections which Justice Singh vitiated; I am no lawyer but I do know that if something is invalidated then it has to be changed. In this case it was the election so a new election was required. That never happened Chris, but of course for you that is not divisive since those in power looked like you.

The disheveled Christopher Ram then continued his impotent argument. He complained that Cecil Kennard and Prem Persaud were retired because of age while Justice Patterson was appointed GECOM chair and Prof Clive Thomas was appointed to SARA. Christopher Ram, you forgot to mention that Mr. Hamilton Green was also retired but that does not play into your racist narrative. You also forgot to mention that Justice Claudette Singh was appointed GECOM chairwoman after she retired. You also forgot to mention that Cecil Kennard was appointed to lead the CoI into the Mayor and City Council and the person who replaced Kennard at the Police Complaints Authority is an indo-Guyanese, Justice William Ramlall. Chris, if you were not looking at it through jaundiced and racist eyes you would have seen other possible reasons why this happened. Firstly, it was not down to race since an Afro-Guyanese was also affected by it and presently there is an Indo-Guyanese as Georgetown Mayor. Secondly, it has to do with promoting professional mobility of young lawyers to Judges. Cecil Kennard and Prem Persaud were in their 80’s hence they had to resign to give way to younger judges which did include Indo-Guyanese. Being the chairman of a CoI or GECOM requires experience which, unfortunately, cannot be faked. It is for this reason that these retired judges can be appointed there ahead of younger inexperienced lawyers. Most importantly, they are generally for a shorter period which suits a retired judge well. So that’s the reason Christopher. It has nothing to do with race.

Fit and proper
The rest of Christopher humbug narrative I will just ignore since it was him blowing off steam for being in a group that H.E President Granger, using legal parlance, said it was not fit and proper. Having said that, I will briefly address the issue pertaining to Raphael Trotman. Christopher is hooked up on Raphael Trotman but in the very report he is referring to, there were accusations labelled against Robert Persaud and Donald Ramotar. Of course, Chris would not be harsh on them because they look like him. He will attack Raphael Trotman because he does not look like him but moreso he looks like the man he racially abused which was caught on tape. Christopher Ram, you are not an oil and gas expert, far from it, as a result I would suggest that you go read other articles on the very subject matter that get a comprehensive and balanced view. Also, I would suggest that you speak to experts and you may realise that the world we live in is not black and white. The world is not a single Global Witness report. In concluding, I will say that Christopher Ram is a pitiful geriatric junior lawyer. He is very vindictive and holds a grudge against Mr. Granger for the incident that occurred during the GECOM chair selection process. He is petty. He is a relic of the past. He is stuck in the 1960’s of apaan Jaat era. Most of us have moved on from those divisive days. Look at the diversity of the crowds at the APNU-AFC rally. Look at the love shown by all races to Mr. Granger wherever he goes. Christopher Ram, we are in 2020 and not 1960. Get out of our sight with that racist agenda. You are divisive and a bitter old man. You would not speak of the contracts you got under this government. You will never mention that because it does not fit your racist narrative. Stop appealing to race and let this elections be on record.

Regards
Dr. Mark Devonish

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