I AGAIN call on AFC Member of Parliament, Sheila Holder to  issue an apology for making false, outlandish, and inflammatory claims in an article published on the AFC website (Chronicle plays old racial trick – “don’t split the votes” June 19, 2010). Holder made reference to an article of mine – Hartley Henry, the PNCR, AFC, and underground politics (Guyana Chronicle, June 17, 2010).
Here is how Sheila Holder represents what I wrote – “…whip up even more rumors that Afro-Guyanese in the AFC are seeking to form a coalition with the PNCR in a quest to marginalize Mr. Ramjattan and the AFC’s Indo-Guyanese supporters” (Sheila Holder, June 19). Holder cites my June 17 article in making this outrageous accusation.
Here is what I actually wrote – “Ramjattan supporters want to follow the principle of rotation which would mean that Trotman would be effectively demoted. The Trotman faction does not agree with their own party principle and much touted pronouncements about a rotating leadership”(Randy Persaud June 17). These are my exact words.
Note the difference here. Nowhere in my article did I mention anything about Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese. Sheila Holder is the one who inserted race.
Holder’s irresponsible misrepresentation flies in the face of the AFC’s mantra about staying from race-based politics. In fact, only very few statements by the AFC are without references to race.
I again call upon Sheila Holder to apologise.