Dear Editor,
IT has now been made even clearer for all in Guyana and the Diaspora to see that Baharrat Jadgeo, Leader of the Opposition, General Secretary and maximum ruler of the PPP party is a man whose relationship with the truth is estranged, and his words cannot be trusted. What he says can lead to diabolical consequences in this country if he is not going to be responsible with his utterances.

The lives of innocent people and the maintenance of peace and stability can be threatened by his callous and irresponsible actions and behaviour. Mr. Editor, what I find most ironic about Jadgeo is his attempt to portray and project himself as a fighter against corruption when he, as president, presided over the most corrupt and violent regime in our country’s political history. Extra-judicial killings, drugs, corruption, unemployment, economic discrimination, marginalisation, racial-profiling for employment and resource allocations were constant during his rule.

His many attempts now to prevent GECOM from making it possible for countless young Guyanese to be on the voters list to participate in the next election is presently his biggest act of corruption and anti-democratic stance at play before all to see. But this will not happen. The “list” must be cleaned, and our young people have to be given their “constitutional right” to vote in the next elections.

At his last press conference, several revelations were made. Firstly, there was an expression of not only his usual misrepresentation of the truth and facts, for it is now more evident that his usual modus operandi is to try and hoodwink, bamboozle and deceive the masses of Guyanese with his web of lies.

Secondly, Mr. Editor, what was also revealed was not only his efforts to give unwelcome and unwanted public attention to decent hardworking Guyanese who are entitled by the Constitution to benefit from the patrimony of their country, but to suggest that they are not deserving; not entitled to what they received as Guyanese, because, in his mind, they are supporters of the government and are of a certain ethnic persuasion. As a matter of fact, if they are, so what! Don’t they deserve the right to choose whichever political party they want to support? Is this not a form of democracy; democracy the PPPC claimed to have brought back?

I remember, Mr. Editor, in 2008, Ms. Gay McDougall, a United Nations independent expert on minorities, declaring, based on her findings, that there was a stigmatisation of young Afro-Guyanese males and entire communities, many of whom reported feeling excluded, discriminated against and victimised. She also said, “Ethnically-based divisions and politics have created two separate and conflicting narratives and perceptions of reality in Guyana.”
On the part of Afro-Guyanese, McDougall said, there is a widely-held belief that they are discriminated against by an Indian-dominated and supported government that puts Indian interests to the fore, particularly in resource allocation, government contracts and employment.

McDougall also reported that ethnically-divided political and administrative structures and failed political processes had created deep frustrations and distrust in the institution of government. She further highlighted a bitter and destructive political environment that had infected the wider society, and was failing the people of Guyana. Further, in 2003, Doudou Dienne, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, found that every level of the Guyanese society was permeated by a profound moral, emotional and political fatigue, arising out of the individual and collective impact of ethnic polarisation. In 2008, McDougall said she witnessed a continuing societal malaise that showed evidence of the same, having deepened and transformed in some instances into despair, anger and resistance.
Even after these revelations by the United Nations representatives, Jagdeo’s subsequent actions reflected the PPP’s “unchanging ideology of racism”. He just didn’t care what anyone had to say; his arrogance was unmatched.

The utterances and posturing of Jadgeo remain and reaffirm the points posited then and now in his usually wild and reckless assertions that have no validity in truth or fact, which is not surprising, but his underlying racist undertone could not be camouflaged. It was as if he was suggesting, in the presence of several media outlets, that Afro-Guyanese, who faced the worst atrocities of our six peoples, whose ancestors came and built this country as slaves, are not deserving of land in the country of their birth. This is the man who, as president, gave away State lands, be it in the forestry sector, mining, agriculture or housing sectors to a few of his friends, cronies, etc., but, most interestingly, to foreigners who are far less deserving than his fellow Guyanese, like the very individuals who he had on display in his Church Street office.

This is the man whose Party, while in government, also denied the Indigenous Peoples of this country “real” titles to their lands.

Thirdly, Mr. Editor, his press conference also revealed that disrespect for the rule of law and the court’s ruling is a hallmark of his tenure, in and out of office. The very information he paraded on his wall are supposed to have been of a confidential nature, and those who participated in this breach of confidence should be placed before the courts.

Fourthly, what was also revealed, as was suspected by some and known by others, is that in the ministries, and many government agencies/departments, there are individuals who operate in an unethical and unprofessional manner. Those individuals who leak information that are supposed to be of a confidential nature to the Opposition are doing a disservice to the ministries and agencies they represent. They are knowingly, or unknowingly, aiding the Opposition’s political shenanigans to stymie the government’s developmental programmes and create an unwelcome behaviour in the society. But, any attempt or efforts to disrupt the peace and stability of our society “shall” be dealt with condignly to the fullest extent of the law.

Finally, Mr. Editor, what was also recognised was a frightening reality of what some media houses and their reporting is all about; that is, “to be the first” to break the news. They couldn’t care less if what the Leader of the Opposition is saying is credible or not, or if the information is laced with truth to withstand scrutiny. As a matter of fact, no one saw the need to do some investigative journalism. “Google”; do something to put out credible news, and, moreover, force the man to be honest. Guyana, under the David Granger-led Coalition Government is better equipped to continue serving this nation for the benefit of all Guyanese.

Regards,
Jermaine Figueira
Member of Parliament
Region Ten