I WAS looking at a televised broadcast of the APNU+AFC rally in Essequibo. There is no doubt that a lot of half truths and downright lies were peddled by Mr. Imaam Baksh. He said that Mr. Desmond Hoyte was responsible for bringing back free and fair elections in Guyana – this is a lie. He was pressured by the USA, Canada, UK and other countries to hold free and fair elections after the PCD, GUARD and the diaspora had requested them to intervene. Even after the results in 1992 showed that the PPP/C had won the elections, Mr. Hoyte had refused to accept defeat. His party members rioted in Georgetown burning buildings and beating anyone who looked like a PPP supporter. It was not until President Carter read the riot act to him (Mr. Hoyte) that he accepted the election results.
Mr. Imaam Baksh said that it was Mr. Hoyte who brought back flour and other banned items to Guyana. I want to ask Mr. Baksh, “Who banned flour and other goods?” It was Mr. Burnham who made it a crime to have these goods. Mr. Hoyte was the prime minister during that time. Did he not agree to have these goods banned? If he didn’t, then, if he was such a principled individual as Mr. Baksh made him out to be, he should have resigned his position as prime minister. It showed that he agreed to the banning. Why praise him for lifting the ban?
Mr. Baksh told the gathering that it was Mr. Hoyte who granted rice millers (like himself) permission to export rice. This may be true, but at what cost to the rice industry? The millers took advantage of the poor rice farmers and forced them out of the market by offering them prices that made it impossible for them to exist. They abandoned their rice fields which caused production to drop so low that Guyana had to import rice for domestic consumption. It should be noted that this happened under Mr. Hoyte’s tenure as President. What a shame Mr. Baksh! Let the truth be told.

A PERSAUD