Roger Luncheon on trial
–          Shameful episode in the annals of Guyana’s history
BHARRAT Jagdeo’s presidency was forged in and emerged like tensile steel from the fires that raged in the city’s streets because of the PNC’s slo’ fiah, mo’ fiah strategy – an offshoot of the X-13 Plan, which catalysed death and destruction in this country decades before in the early 1960s, as well as wounds and a division in the Guyanese nation that are slowly being healed and bridged, leading to relative peace in Guyana among its peoples of diverse racial and cultural origins.
This relative peace and stability, except for the sporadic, politically driven outbreaks of violence in the country and the ramped-up crime wave that is provoked by leaders who encourage young men that it is their bounden right to grab the possessions of others – even if they have to kill to do so- has created a climate in the country that has led to much development, whereby every Guyanese is seeing the dawning of a bright future for themselves and their children; and for generations to come.
The people of the nation are recognizing that, regardless of their ethnic composition or their religion; and even of their political conviction, their needs and those of their children are being addressed; maybe not all at once, because Guyana, while emerging incrementally from poverty as funds are being made available, still has a way to go before this nation has achieved progress to its maximum potential, but if anyone can look at the transformation that is taking place in every community in the land, with progress being achieved in the entire national construct, and say that any one community is being neglected over the other, then that person has an agenda to once again send this country down the path of slo’ fiah, mo’ fiah, using race issues as a basis.
When Desmond Hoyte, under whose watch the PNC recorded its worst electoral rigging in 1985, was forced to concede to a menu of measures dictated by the IMF as conditionalities for continued funding, which he termed the Economic Recovery Programme (punitive measures described by Guyanese across the board as ‘empty rice pots’), free-and-fair elections became a paramount consideration.
However, on elections day reports emanating from the local stations nearly derailed the first relatively free-and-fair elections held in this country in decades and began a wave of violence that erupted at polling stations across the country; also at the elections office, where busloads of persons were bussed in to stone the building. There was also looting and rioting in the city, especially in front of Freedom House.
This type of response after consecutive PPP victories at the polls intensified after each general election under one pretext or another.
Dr. Jagan’s life-long dream of a united Guyanese nation being achieved by Bharrat Jagdeo
There was bitter opposition to Bharrat Jagdeo’s appointment to the presidency when Mrs. Jagan was forced to demit office; and a little of the personal agony he has endured over the years was revealed when he thanked the friends and supporters who have stood resolutely at his side during the dark moments of his life during the day of appreciation last Friday.
But he endured and he prevailed, until he won the love and trust of the Guyanese people, enough that they are now realizing that their only road to progress and prosperity – for themselves, individually, and the nation in general, is that the solution to the nation’s poverty is to work together as one people working to achieve common goals – respecting and celebrating each other’s differences, but conscious of their national identity as one people with a common destiny.
Today, Bharrat Jagdeo is well on the way to achieving Dr. Jagan’s life-long dream of unity in the Guyanese nation, with tolerance and respect for each other replacing bigotry and divisionist politics. This was apparent at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence last Friday.
However, the stratagem for wresting power in the land by the opposition parties and their media satellites is a divisionist policy of sowing discontent and discord, using race as a basis, and some media operatives and columnists are intent on taking Guyana down that path of destruction and mayhem again. All it would take is one spark of fire to cause a conflagration in the nation.
Bharrat Jagdeo has ultimate responsibility to avert such a catastrophe in the land that would consequence a reversal in Guyana’s development ratings, which will as a natural progression constrict socio-economic gains in the nation; so he moved to avert such a tragedy from recurring in Guyana by putting a halt to the racist rhetoric – and he did so through the only legal means available to him – through Guyana’s courts.
Farce being played out in courtroom
However, the courtroom has been converted into a microcosm of the collective opposition electoral strategy, where Guyanese are once more being made to feel estranged because, while Guyanese of Indian descent were put on trial for their mere existence and predilection for hard work, sacrifice and endeavours toward progress, Guyanese of African descent are being made to feel sidelined and discriminated against.
Along with Indo-Guyanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and even external investors were lambasted, along with the administration, for their daring to invest their capital in the country.
Defence lawyers argued that Bharrat Jagdeo showed racism because NICIL sold state lands to investors, among which companies were Roraima Airways, which is owned by Gerry Gouveia, who is definitely not Indo-Guyanese; Scaby Business Corporation out of Tortola; Shaheed and Zabeida Ferouze; Queen’s Atlantic Inc.; John Fernandes Ltd; Multi Cinema Inc., definitely not owned by Indo-Guyanese; Precision Woodworking – demanding from Roger Luncheon whether the Bulkans who own that company are not Indians – without informing the court that the Bulkan business and most of the businesses located at Ruimveldt Industrial Estate were occupied under leases issued decades ago and the Jagdeo administration is now converting those leases into Free-Hold titles; and GBTI – the founding father of which established the Beharry Group of Companies as a pioneer when Guyana was in the pits. They argued that among all these persons was only one person of African descent, which was Stanford Solomon. 

There is no interest in explaining that the government’s  privatization policy which was formulated by Dr. Cheddi Jagan and which is being executed by President Jagdeo received the full approval of Parliament since 1994.
It’s hallmark is the disposal of idle assets of the state by a public,  competitive  process so that the proceeds can be used to improve the lives and welfare of the ordinary working people of Guyana.
Race has no part whatsoever to play in this process.

Anil Nandalall objected to this line of questioning as being irrelevant, especially when it was demanded of Roger Luncheon that he was aware that Claude Deygoo was really Eddie Boyer (probably he wanted confirmation that Roger, as a medical doctor had helped to birth Eddie Boyer and had seen him convert to a Claude Boyer, or vice versa). However, the defence lawyer was on a roll, quoting the names of Guyanese diplomats of Indian extraction, whom he said had no experience. 
Experience in diplomacy is relative, because everyone who can reason and has a modicum of intelligence to manage and communicate effectively, especially if they had served in high administrative capacities can fill diplomatic positions; and as Nandalall pointed out as an aside – the person in charge of all the Guyanese diplomats is an Afro-Guyanese.
As Nandalall also pointed out, if the Government facilitates an investor, who can create jobs and consequential wealth for hundreds of Guyanese employees, wants to expend hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in Guyana, which proves private sector trust in this country’s economy, how does that translate into active racism by President Jagdeo?
GBTI works with Government to empower the nation’s poor through its various programmes, among which is the Women of Worth programme. In Guyanese parlance, “hand wash hand mek hand come clean”. The Government needs private sector partnership in its people empowerment initiatives, so this is a win-win situation for the Government. How does this translate into racism?
By the same token it can be questioned why the public service offices, NIS, security services, et al are staffed mainly by Afro-Guyanese?
All for the sake of political power and self-aggrandizement
But why should we want to go down that route again? Why are the growth and expansion of the Courtney Benns, the Lennox Johns, Stanford Solomons and numberless other Afro-Guyanese who are utilizing opportunities through the enhanced development paradigm in the nation not taken cognisance of? This is a slap in the face of all Guyanese of African descent who are making inroads in Guyana’s path to progress and contributing significantly to the nation’s growth – right alongside their peers of other ethnic compositions.
Seeing the persecution of the venerable Roger Luncheon for daring to be part of an administration that seeks to unite rather than divide the Guyanese people, I felt such disgust I walked out of the courtroom.
I remember Roger Luncheon struggling alongside Dr. Jagan and the other PPP stalwarts, some of whom have passed the baton on to the younger generation, during the relentless years as they fought for restoration of democracy in the land; but I remember, too, members of the WPA also had engaged in the fight to restore democracy in the land, and they were persecuted for their efforts.
Some of these persons I once held in high esteem, some would always remain in my heart because they stood by me in times of family crises, but I cannot respect anyone who fosters race hate in this volatile nation, because there have been dire consequences for too many innocent persons because of such irresponsible rhetoric.
Today, there is a pervading sadness prevailing, because those who once fought against injustice and disunity in Guyana are now fighting to restore disunity in the land.
All for the sake of political power and self-aggrandizement.