THE Kaieteur News editorial, ‘The race drum sounds’ (14-03-15) is dangerous as it is deceitful and discrepant. The editorial is fraught with misconceptions and apprehensions, and reflects slothful journalism. There is so much wrong with that KN editorial that I am not sure from where to start.

From the outset, the title of the editorial ‘The race drum sounds’ is rather hazy and baffling. Is it referring to utterances of racism from one, or several factions in the country – or in the world? Is it attributing racism to one particular ethnic group – as seems to be the case in the animadversion?

Please permit me to quote the first paragraph of the editorial: “The Times of India is the largest English language newspaper in India. It is a daily publication that examines sensitive issues in the country. Recently, it examined politics in India and the issue of racism. The comments follow.” Reading this paragraph, one gets the impression that The Times of India (ToI) recently did an article or a series of articles on the issue of politics and racism, and what follows in the rest of the editorial is a commentary by readers and analysts on this subject.

That first paragraph is replete with blatant errors. First, the content of the KN material that followed that paragraph was taken verbatim from an Indian newspaper editorial – not from the ToI, but from the Economic Times (ET) – entitled: “Where is the moral fight against racism?”.
The ET communique is not “recent”, as stated in the Kaieteur News; rather, it was published on Oct. 18, 2014. The ET is a sister publication of the ToI, but they are not one and the same; they are sold as completely different newspapers.

It is common for news media to print other newspapers editorials. However, there is always an acknowledgement of the source, accompanied with information on the date of publication. KN risks libel in hoisting material from another source without acknowledgement. In the academic world, this is called “plagiarism”!

What many don’t seem to know is that intellectuals, journalists and leading media personnel in India regularly address sensitive issues – not only in newspapers, but also in other forms of media, including television. India should be commended for their openness in addressing their (many!) short-comings – including that of racism and a mentality that favours lighter-skinned folk. (I thought of my good friend, Freddie, as I flew in one of the more reputable airlines of India less than a week ago. Almost all of the attendants were of very fair complexion. I intend to call on the airline’s head office and do my bit to redress this situation).
It must be noted that India has been kind and generous to foreign students, including those from the African continent. The unfortunate (isolated) incidents of violence against African students is similar to that which foreign students encounter in countries such as Australia and China.

I whole-heartedly agree with the ET that “Indians are some of the most racist people on earth”. However, one could also easily substitute the word “Indians” with “Africans”, or “Chinese” – or whatever – in that sentence – depending on the context. The editor of the ET should be commended for the direct and in-your-face critique to shock readers on the severity of the problem. (There are scores of African countries – and hundreds of African newspapers; how often have we read in their newspapers that “Africans are some of the most racist people on earth”?)

Following the word-for-word copy of the ET missive, The KN editorial stated, “The question of racism affects Guyana the same way that it does in India and influences decisions in the country.” What is the point of this statement? Is it to show that Indians in Guyana are “some of the most racist on earth” because of the DNA they inherited from their forebears?

I admit that Indians are “some of the most racist on earth.” But ditto for the Africans, the whites, Chinese, etc. Eusi Kwayana, however, pointed out in a booklet on racism in Guyana, “there is no guilty race”. (Actually, I disagree profoundly with that statement; in the Guyana context, both of the major races are equally ‘guilty’!)

It would have been helpful if the KN editorial was more specific regarding the era of “ethnic insecurity” that has been referred to, and the advent (and dismantling) of the Ethnic Relations Commission. The references to Rwanda and Dou Dou Dienne’s visit are also rather nebulous.

One would have expected a statement of summary or conclusion on the content of the editorial in the last paragraph. Instead, there was cursory mention of former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s reference to “coolie people.”

The redeeming feature about the editorial is that it ended the way it started: it laboured ardously as it feebly (and dangerously!) attempts to paint Indians (alone) as the “most racist on earth” – and as the lone guilty race in Guyana.
DEVANAND BHAGWAN