Dear Mr. Editor

I AM 35 years old and was raised under humble circumstances by my parents in Guyana. I came to develop a value system that has served me well thus far.  I learned along the way that “all that glitters is not gold” and that oftentimes people who appear to have the best of intentions may well be doing the dance of deception. Since I came to know of Major-General (MG) Joe Singh, I have always heard nothing but good things said about him. As a serious conservationist at heart myself, I have even followed his writings in the newspapers and was always impressed, until two days ago.
I never would have thought that one day I’d read words attributed to him that sow seeds of division amongst Guyanese. I have to confess that I am now deeply disappointed that MG Joe Singh has turned out to be the mercury, made to glitter like gold on a rusty surface, and the trusted uncle who is now exposed for what he was all along — the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Allow me, Editor, to respond to Major-General Singh’s recent open and highly disrespectful letter to His Excellency our President David Granger. First, let me make it quite clear, that since I was growing up my parents have always voted PPP.  In 2011, I myself voted for the first time and I voted PPP. I did so out of fear as I listened then to the likes of Bharrat Jagdeo whose very effective propaganda machine convinced me that David Granger was a dictator.
In 2020 I voted again, but this time I voted for the APNU+AFC. I do not belong to any political party, so no one influenced my vote. I watched Guyana’s steady progress under President Granger and I was convinced that my country for the first time in my adult life was headed in the right direction. I thank God every day for Mr Granger. Over the last four-plus years he has earned my respect.
Editor, I wish to let the world know, if only the world would listen to a young Guyanese woman of Indian descent, that Mr Granger has earned my respect because of his overwhelming sense of decency and fairness towards all Guyanese, and great love of country.

Now let me address Major-General (MG) Singh. MG, I have to tell you that the language and tone of the letter attributed to you betrayed the intent of its author.  In Guyana we know  you MG Singh, and from what we know or thought we knew, you do not fit into the caricature of a simpleton who would get angry that His Excellency the President did not select him to become the GECOM chairperson, especially since you had served in that position before.  Your letter, or the letter to which you have affixed your signature, portrayed you as that simpleton. I still hope you are not the author and that you would find the courage to distance yourself from it. Certainly, the MG we knew or thought we did is educated enough to appreciate the words “fit and proper” in the context that those words were used, by His Excellency the President.  Even at my age and level of awareness, I understand that those words were never meant to be taken personally. Nor did I, or anyone else I know, up until your most recent open letter would have seen such words as a fitting description of you. The letter you signed, whether you read it or not, left you bereft of the academic savvy to recognise and appreciate the use of words in context. Let me be clear: no educated and mature individual would carry around such unforgivable anger that burns like acid in his bosom over those words for as long as you have done, according to that obvious mercury campaign letter with some of the campaign messages embedded; a despicable portrayal of you– an expose of  treacherous deception.

In that letter you are portrayed as an angry man who allowed himself to be used in a well-coordinated but evil scheme designed by foreign interests, against the President and people of Guyana. Why else would you allow yourself to be so manipulated by others who lack your standing in our society, as to make you behave as if you are incapable of understanding words in context and the complexities of our legal system.  You alluded to “the minions who are behind this conspiracy” and you advocated an uncharacteristic, dictatorial approach to have them “identified and excised like a cancerous tumour from our body politic” — how more Machiavellian can anyone become? Was that the real Joe Singh, Or his Machiavellian handlers waiting to unleash their criminal and dictatorial rule once again upon the Guyanese people?
Your expressed sarcasm, and high-level intolerance surrounding Ms Ulita Grace Moore’s access to the court, makes me question your respect and acceptance of her right of access to the court. What’s different, in this month of Lent, Self-Righteous MG Singh, between Reaz Holladar’s case, represented by Anil Nandlall and the Ulita Grace Moore case, represented by Mayo Robertson?
Why are the latter regarded as “minions behind a conspiracy” to be “excised” and NOT the former?  What is different in this month of Lent Mr Self-Righteous Joe Singh, between the decisions of Justice Navindra Singh and those of Justice Franklin Holder?
When you would have, in your silent moments, answered the questions posed above and looked at yourself in the mirror, you should bow your head in shame that you allowed yourself to be manipulated to a place where you would publicly safeguard the legal rights of one group of Guyanese and deny another group the same access.  You stand like the emperor MG; or the former angel…Fallen!
I never heard a word from you when one side of the divide approached the courts. Why do you believe now that Mr Granger who is not a dictator, and does NOT control the minds of his followers or the courts, should somehow silence a Guyanese who has an opinion different from his, yours and mine for that matter?  NOTE: I, like Mr Granger, support a recount, but I also respect everyone’s right to their own opinions and access to the courts of Guyana.  Is that not the essence of democracy? Why can’t you and your foreign mercury friends who have made you into one of their ‘minions,’ your word in context uncle Joe, not mine, accept that what’s good for one group in society has to be good for the other. Teach them Uncle Joe…teach them that in our beautiful Guyana what’s good for the goose is also good for the gander…don’t let them infuse their racist tendencies on us Guyanese through the use of your pen. I will not forgive you if you don’t distance yourself from that.

You are completely out of order to ask Mr Granger to silence, excise condignly those whose opinions differ from his. Silencing other people’s opinions is a thing done by the party I voted for in 2011. My friends in that party tell me that they wanted Anil Nandlall as their presidential candidate.

They however were forced to accept Irfaan Ali, lest they be “excised like the cancerous tumour.”  Is that the level to which you would have Mr Granger descend?  Is that what you want for Guyana? The foreigners don’t care, they want the oil…. but what do you want Uncle Joe?
You claimed in your letter, that you hold Mr Granger in high esteem as a colleague and a friend. I have to conclude that with friends like you, he’ll never have a need for enemies.
Major-General Joe Singh, are you not embarrassed to state or have stated in your name: “We, long-suffering Guyanese, fooled by the mirages of a good life, are hurting”?  In this month of Lent, tell me truthfully, who is hurting? And whose words are those?

Let this young Guyanese who voted PPP in 2011 speak for herself. The tremendous development and growth that I have witnessed in the last four years under President Granger I didn’t see in the years under the killing machine death squad regime. Mercury and you now wish to return to Guyana to interrupt the good life I have only just begun to enjoy. Where was your voice when Crum-Ewing was murdered? Where was your voice when the phantom squad roamed the land? Why were you not embarrassed and hurting and angry then? Why MG Joe Singh? Why? Why didn’t YOU want the “poisoned chalice pass” then? Why Joe Singh? Why?  I rather suspect by now that if you have a conscience you would recognise by now that you stand like the Emperor, Major-General.
Why have you allowed yourself to be manipulated into an instrument of the ongoing Mercury Public Affairs, (of Paul Manafort notoriety), campaign against the masses of Guyanese people?  Why have you made yourself into their handmaid? Where is your sense of decency and professionalism as a former senior military officer?   Why have you so disgraced yourself? What were you paid? What were you promised?
I am so disappointed that you found yourself in a conspiracy to refer to the peoples of Guyana as “dogs.” It has often been said that in times of crisis the real characters of men rise to the surface. You have exposed yourself Major-General and now you stand like the emperor.
Finally, Joe Singh, why did you let someone else script these foolish words for you, to tarnish your reputation as a gentleman with at least a modicum of intelligence. How could you in your right mind, claim as yours the words below: “I will not forgive you if you fail to do the honourable duty of calling off the dogs of war and excise them condignly” …Like seriously Joe Singh?
Have you gone insane? Do you seriously wish those words to form part of your legacy? Have you lost YOUR sense of pride?  What happened to you in this month of Lent? Did the devil tempt you?  Did that slippery devil like mercury take you to the mountain top and promised all the oil kingdoms of the world if you embraced the Mercury/Jagdeo evil design for Guyana’s oil? What happened…and finally, you know the bible, why didn’t you tell that slippery-like mercury devil to get away from you?
Why in this month of Lent, did you yield to the temptation and now you are left standing like the emperor… My grandparents and parent taught me well, “all that glitters is not gold and never take a book by its cover; sometimes those who appear to have good intentions are sometimes exposed for who they really are…the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Regards
Devina Mahadeo