Dear Editor,

PPP minion Robin Singh has slithered out from a crevice to defend the PPP’s criminal architecture. He attacked me and the C-GID for asking the international community to insist on an inquiry into hundreds of extrajudicial killings by Roger Khan’s “Phantom” death squad. Singh’s diatribe captioned “A response to C-GID – Truth does not go away,” was published in the Kaieteur News on December 15. Singh wrote, inter alia, that his “recent call for a ‘Truth and Reconciliation-type commission… prodded a response from a purported group the Caribbean-Guyana Institute for Democracy.” Kaieteur news which did not publish C-GID’s statement, found it appropriate to publish Singh’s bigoted response to said statement. Dangerous!

Robin Singh may be infatuated with his inflated self-importance, but he’s irrelevant to us. C-GID did not respond to him. We do not read trash or utterings from racist serpents that slither around the public square excreting bigoted slime in the name of public discourse. Our actions are inspired by people of consequence, the pain of the traumatised people of Guyana and matters of national importance.

It has not escaped readers that people like Robin Singh relish questioning the intellect, character and accomplishments of Afro-Guyanese. This is emblematic of modern Jim Crows who seek to dehumanise their political opponents and thus delegitimise our advocacy for social and economic justice, equality, and for equal justice under the law. They try to diminish the institutions that empower the wider community and promote national development through cohesion and national harmony.

But their voices and pens are mediocre; and their characters are like the nadir of the swamp of atrocities in which they wallow. We must challenge them, and uproot their evil. They cannot compete in the sphere of competence and intelligentsia they seek to undermine. They lack the intellectual heft, political sophistication and public support to accomplish the apartheid they wish to impose on Guyana. C-GID for one will expose their evil intentions, and mobilise like-minded Guyanese to unite to defeat their fascism.

Our fight for justice cannot be delegitimised. It is noble and just. The” Phantom” death squad has killed hundreds of citizens.  Under international law, specifically the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, “genocide” is defined as the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. These “Phantom” killings during the PPP regime constitute ‘genocide.’ Consequently, there is a legitimate cause for an investigation. No civilised society can ignore this atrocity. Moreover, Singh’s vapid idea of a “truth and reconciliation commission” to investigate murders is a subterfuge to absolve the PPP from criminal liability and pervert justice. His hooey will not distract the C-GID and the majority of Guyanese from its mission to seek justice.

This is not South Africa. You don’t get to murder our people, then call for truth and reconciliation. This is Guyana. We demand justice and accountability. We want an investigation in which prima facie evidence of criminal acts will be referred to the DPP for prosecution. Don’t insult our intelligence with schemes to supplant justice. Had this genocide been perpetrated against another ethnicity, Robin Singh, his PPP cohorts and fellow travellers would have engaged in a daily drum-beat for justice. These are the hypocrites who ignored and celebrated decades of PPP suppression, racial discrimination, and even killing of PNCR supporters of all ethnicities, but not criticise Minister Volda Lawrence for saying she wants to restore parity to our polity. They do not value the lives of Afro-Guyanese. But the C-GID values all lives. This is why we demand justice.

Robin Singh further ventured to say that “C-GID does not withstand scrutiny as a credible organisation.” How dare this apologist of a murderous, rag-tag ethnic mafia cast aspersions on the C-GID? This Neanderthal is part of the PPP cabal that ensconced itself into the belly of a death squad and drug gangs. Their reputations make Jack the Ripper look like a priest. Their moral authority is as stink as a corpse. I will put forth C-GID’s legitimacy and credibility for scrutiny any day against this criminal architecture.

The C-GID’s reputation is pre-eminent. Our organisation has been featured on CNN, in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. C-GID co-hosted a town forum with the Mayor of New York in Brooklyn with over 1500 attendees. We have held hundreds of “Immigration, the law and you” forums all across New York City with Members of Congress, State and city officials, USCIS personnel, New York City Police Commissioner, justices and the Brooklyn District Attorney. C-GID had been honoured by the US Congress, the White House, New York State legislature and the New York City council for its advocacy for Caribbean Americans.

C-GID established the Democracy Prize which has been awarded to the Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These prime ministers accepted this award in person. Speakers at our award ceremonies have included the Leader of the British House of Lords, Prime Ministers, CARICOM Secretary- General, United Nations officials, US federal, State and city officials, Judges and University Presidents. C-GID board members have attended White House briefings, and have held discussions with the President of the United States, State Department and Governors. The C-GID is an established entity. It is therefore laughable for Robin Singh, an apologist for a criminal gang, to question C-GID’s bona fides.

Had Singh done his research he would not have embarrassed himself by publishing fraudulent claims and utter rubbish. The next time he tries to engage the C-GID he should not risk listening to his puppet masters at Freedom House. He should do his own research to be informed and get his facts straight. He may then be able to demonstrate a modicum of substance, coherence and intellect. His oblivion and paucity of knowledge would not be so glaringly conclusive and offensive. And he will appear smart enough to attempt to add intellectual heft to the national discourse in which he seeks to interject himself.

Rickford Burke
President
Caribbean- Guyana Institute for Democracy (C-GID)