GUYANA is one of those countries where history was rarely recorded and accurately documented. In the past, when history was archived, it was done so in accordance with the whims of the ruling government. So one has to be careful when analysing the past, especially the dark, dismal days of the PNC regime, particularly the Burnham epoch. Also many people from that era are still alive and safe, and so one can get glimpses into the bestiality of the PNCR’s recent past. In the post-colonial era, leading up to 1992, Guyana, under the tyranny of the PNC, was characterised by many political, social and economic ills. However, the most strangling evil of the day was that of not having a voice. The then PNC government manipulated the media and inundated the press (the voiced arm) with lies, fabrications and distortions. Therefore one is forced to fit rumours and assumptions into the perspective of national history. So when one remembers the role of criminality of House of Israel, one has to be thankful for eye witnesses’ accounts.
For example, in July of 1979, the building, which housed the Office of the General Secretary of the PNC and the Ministry of National Development, was burned down. Hoards of eyewitnesses’ claims cannot then be ignored. The act was perpetrated by ‘men in army uniforms.’ These men, under the aegis of the House of Israel, were sponsored and protected by the Burnham-led PNC. These ‘religious’ hooligans interfaced with the army (ammunitions, clothes, vehicles etc.). Yet the bizarre was foisted on the people.
What the Burnham-controlled court did was to maliciously accuse, arrest and try leading WPA leaders/political activists such as Drs. Rodney, Roopnarine, and Omawale (just to name a few). This was done amidst fearful but necessary protests. After all, Catholic Standard’s Father Bernard Darke was stabbed to death, and two other leading protestors were injured. Mike James and Gordon Yearwood ran for their lives, but did not escape a severe corporal beating and stab wounds. All this took place in broad daylight and in the presence of onlookers, especially the police. They were ensuring a haven for their allies to perpetrate their evils. What made it even worse was what the notorious and invidious Nascimento offered.
Just one week after the crime, PNC’s information contortionist referred to the House of Israel as a “religious group that lives in a cloistered, communal atmosphere. The members have declared their support for the government and they haven’t committed any crimes. There is no reason why we should be concerned” (Toronto Star, July 22, 1979). This was ‘vinegar and salt’ in the wounds of the members of the opposing group and the general public as a whole.  What makes this incident, and many like these ‘a bitter pill to swallow’ is the fact that Rabbi Washington was known as the ‘evil incarnate.’
This Satanic figure, amidst the civil rights protests in the United States, known then as David Hill, formed the House of Israel in Cleveland, Ohio. By then he already had a criminal record that had started decades before. Notoriously known as ‘The Bishop,’ Hill teamed up with the Reverend Earnest Hilliard, a popular local radio personality. David Hill became very active in the local business sector of Cleveland. Enraged that whites owned most of the businesses, including McDonald’s, the ‘House of Israel’ hate-preacher started the Black Unity Campaign against McDonald’s. He and his leading cohorts convinced their naive locals to boycott the fast-food giant, as well as supply the revenue to start the first black-owned fast food enterprise. Locals were known to have signed off cheques for $5,000 and signed franchise application forms.
In 1969, Hilliard was found in his garage, shot in his head. Although Hill was questioned as a suspect, nothing came out of the investigation. Hill later became suspect to some of the locals who eventually discovered that the duo’s plan was a scam. Hill consequently was found guilty for blackmail and sentenced to serve a 4-25 years term. Within weeks after the conviction the ‘evil Rabbi was granted appeal bond. In another trial, a Chicago grand jury found him guilty of grand theft felony charges. Bail, which was originally set at $150,000, was eventually reduced substantially. A bondsman affordably posted it, and thus, Rabbi was released, but to jump bail thereafter. By late 1971, he failed to appear in court. It was rumoured that he had left the country, via the assistance of government officials (whom he used to brag about). He would later be convicted in absentia on two counts of larceny. This ominous figure then was espoused by the PNC. Arriving in Guyana sometime in 1972, he announced himself as Rabbi Edward Washington, in an attempt to cover his true identity, and began the House of Israel (again), which would become a thug ally of the ruling PNC government.
The evil aura of Rabbi Edward Washington’s ‘House of Israel’ was of such magnitude, that even Hugh Desmond Hoyte, President after Burnham, could not tolerate him. He was eventually jailed during Hoyte’s tenure. The Rabbi was hoping for a reprieve. He confessed to the courts a number of evils, even on innocent, non ‘political’ citizens (rape, wanton killings, robbery, vandalism, arson-all during the ‘kick-down-the-door period). This is the man and organisation which were defended in glowing terms, and painted with a salubrious image by the PNC. What a shame?
So now, yet again one must ask, can the PNC change? Are their members desirous of accessing leadership simply because the penchant for evil is unbearable? Remember also that David Granger and Robert Corbin were instrumental during this time. It seems as though the whole mischievous group wants to ‘perform’ again. They must be stopped. The appeal then is to be wise and choose wisely.