Burke is a political operative of the People National Congress (PNC), the main opposition party in Guyana and an active participant of the destruction of Guyana. In 1992 The PNC was voted out of office after 28 years in power. The PNC was regarded by its neighbors and the wider international community as a dictatorship that was corrupt and incompetent. It was only after former President Carter intervened did free and fair elections return to Guyana in 1992. The Peoples Progressive Party won that election and restored democracy in Guyana. Burke claims that he met with President Jagdeo on July 19, 2009 during the CARICOM meeting in NY. Another bald face lie. We categorically reject Burke’s assertions. President Jagdeo was not in NY on July 19, 2009 and there was no CARICOM Heads meeting on that date. This shows the level of desperation of Burke.

Burke, a high profile member of the PNC, served as a special assistant to President Hoyte in the PNC administration and was the leader of the PNC’s youth arm- the Young Socialist Movement. Burke would go on to memorialise Hoyte who was the intellectual author of a campaign to remove the democratically elected government by any means. After losing twice at the polls, Hoyte resorted to intimidations and street thuggery to get back into power. Hoyte had allied himself with known criminals and narco-traffickers. When the infamous narco-trafficker “Blackie” was killed by the police, Hoyte draped a Guyana flag over his coffin, called him a Guyanese hero and led his funeral procession. Hoyte will be remembered in Guyanese history for his infamous statement of “slow fire, more fire.” “Slow fire, more fire” was Hoyte’s call to the army and police to rebel and for acts of illegal demonstrations, arson and looting. While most in the security forces remained professional, Hoyte’s call prompted criminals and political operatives to take to the streets causing the death of hundreds of Guyanese, millions of dollars lost, countless lives ruined, and set the course for racial tension that the country is yet to recover from. Burke from the comfort of the USA supported Hoyte and his cause. Burke, the Goebbels of the PNC, is furthering Hoyte’s campaign.

The group that Burke advocates for and is sympathetic to is committed to taking power by any means. They are domestic terrorists. The group was formed by criminals who escaped from prison, organised themselves into an armed gang and terrorized the country for months from their base in Buxton. From there, the Buxton gang recruited others to cause mayhem. In fact, others like Trotman and Waddell tutored these “freedom fighters” of Buxton. As Stabroek News wrote in its editorial of August 3, 2009, they did not only recruit adults but; “There are also convincing signs that bands of children were recruited as lookouts and later became child warriors.” A prominent member of the Buxton gang was Ronald Waddell, who Burke terms a journalist and passionately defends. However, even the source that Burke quotes, Selwyn Vaughn, has testified that Waddell was a member of the Buxton Gang and was responsible for numerous deaths in Guyana.

Much of what Burke relies on to make his case comes from Selwyn Vaughn, an underworld figure who is testifying in Brooklyn . Burke should know better. We understand that he sat in some law courses. Selwyn Vaughn is a known criminal who operated between two gangs that were at war with each other. By Vaughn’s own admission he spied on Waddel’s Buxton gang, harbored criminals like Fineman and was complicit in the murder of several members of that gang. It is obvious that Vaughn needs the protection of the US government. We too would say anything to save our skin.

Burke’s call for President Jagdeo and Minister Ramsammy to resign is shameful. But coming from him, anything is possible. A call from radical elements aligned with the PNC who have a political agenda.
CONCERNED GUYANESE
New York