Dear Editor
SO, Bharrat Jagdeo is talking about seeking political support from Afro-Guyanese. Editor, if only the observance of journalistic norms were not in the way of giving full expression, of what would have been a natural response to such a disrespectful statement, I would have used every expletive to denounce Jagdeo.

But I must reproach myself for wanting to do such, even though I would have been right in doing so. I should not want to bring myself to Jagdeo’s level.

I should begin by asking, why should Jagdeo want the support of Afro-Guyanese? Is he seeking to tap into what he may believe to be perceived disaffection among the African segment of government supporters? Of course, there is impatience, since the perceived benefits seem slow in coming. But that is another letter for another date.

There is this traditional view that Africans have suffered so much from the brutal experiences of slavery, that even their detractors have accepted that such should continue to be their lot, even to his day. It is a fallacy, since there are so many countless accounts of post-slavery resistance — violent too — of objections to such a stereotype. And though it is true that Africans are known to be a friendly people — even forgiving – no one should ever make the error of mistaking such for shallow memories.

The over two decades rule of the PPP/C government, has been instructive in the perpetuation of brutal and systematic racism against a segment of the nation’s six races. A deliberate policy of marginalisation, where blacks as individuals were denied access to entrepreneurial finances even when many of them had qualified; the wholesale exclusion of African contractors bidding for public work projects;  black communities being denied social amenities because of their race and known political party affiliation, with Linden being a prime example of this discrimination; the assault against the people of Linden when they rose up against the removal of the electricity subsidy. The state turned its guns against them, resulting in the deaths of three of the township’s people.

There were also scores of young blacks, murdered by the notorious Black Clothes squad in  what was clearly a politically directed policy of killing young blacks caught in any criminal enterprise, no matter how minor,  even when they surrendered; an all-out military crush them-at- all- cost campaign against the people of Buxton; a decided policy of granting post-graduate scholarships to mostly Indo-Guyanese, especially within the medical sciences; the transferal through criminal means of the country’s economic assets to one section of the nation’s peoples.

Editor, could you imagine a regime deciding, because it was the government of the day, that it had the right to situate the 1823 African Monument at a place of its choice, without deference to the black community of this country? I labelled that particular act as one of bullyism and gross eye-pass against all African Guyanese, in deciding what should be their history; even Samuel Hinds, the former prime minister, it was reported, whenever he had to perform duties of the presidency had to contend with some Indo-Guyanese photographers refusing to cover his official tours, wherever.

I shall always recall the period of PPP/C governance as one whereby black Guyanese had lost every bit of confidence in themselves as citizens of this country, since all they discerned was a plateau of hopelessness, and with no idea of how they were ever going to remove the oppressive yoke of PPP/C domination.

Some time ago, Jagdeo did allude to African-Guyanese being able to purchase cars and secure homes, because of improved economic conditions. Even though some have been able to acquire these two amenities, this is not what can be considered as enabling black empowerment. In fact, as an aside, the squatters at Sophia are a perfect example of a housing policy that did not target some of the neediest.

The facilitation of real black empowerment was never on the cards during the PPP/C government, since such had never been its intention.

So, let Jagdeo understand that he is attempting to play a sick game that insults the person of black people, and all those whom his security squads murdered. His appeal is unforgivably offensive, not only to the blood and sacrifice of our forebears who dug the canals of this country with their bare hands, and to the many who died in 1763, and 1823; but also to their current descendants, who have been brutally demonised and discriminated against by the Indo-Guyanese–led PPP/C government. How did we let this happen to ourselves, is a matter which must cause deep reflection, thought, and analyses? But it must never happen again. Never!
How could you be so disrespectful, Bharrat Jagdeo?

Regards,
Earl Hamilton