MERVYN Williams’s “Former Prime Minister guilty of hypocrisy” in Guyana Chronicle, July 29, 2019, rings true in every detail of what has been stated in that letter. As a matter of fact, Hinds should be ashamed to utter such high-class nonsense, rightly described as “hypocrisy” in Williams’ letter.

Editor, all that Hinds has done, like so many, if not all, of his colleague party members, is to regurgitate the daily crap mouthed by PPP/C leader, Bharat Jagdeo. It is a contention that has no wing to fly. But this is the classic example of Jagdeo’s continuous twisting the CCJ’s Consequential Orders, branding it with his own deceptive interpretation. It is a national tragedy that because of dishonest intentions and dangerous political opportunism by many, undisguisedly underpinned by race, that such a political fraud is allowed to perpetuate in some quarters. In fact, it is swallowed hook line and sinker in an unquestioning manner.
Samuel Hinds has been a tragic figure of PPP/C politics, in terms of his perception by both sides of the political divide in Guyana.

I doubt whether he ever got the respect he ought to have been given, because of the known fact that a clique of Indo Guyanese videographers in the old Office of the President were known to openly refuse to accompany him for coverage whenever he executed the duties of acting president, during the years of PPP/C governance.

One recalls also when his responsibility of the energy sector had been unceremoniously removed from his remit owing to an issue that had really not been his fault. If memory serves, it was restored to his portfolio sometime after.

He was never his own man, even in the sense as promising to be the promised bridge between African Guyanese and the government. He failed abysmally, as illustrated by the GUYMINE ISSUE. As a Lindener, he oversaw the closing down of the bauxite industry and the sending home of hundreds of workers that eventually sank the once leading community to depths of economic depression. Editor, one should include here, in the many stanzas of this SOCIO-ECONOMIC strangulation of the bauxite town, the cessation of the non-taxable overtime for the bauxite workers, EARNED AFTER REPRESENTATION TO THEN PNC GOVERNMENT, AND WHICH IN TURN GRANTED THE SAME DISPENSATION TO THE SUGAR WORKERS, BUT WHICH THE PPP/C GOVERNMENT DID NOT STOP.

Again, one can refer to the patently, disgusting and disrespectful treatment of the Bauxite industry workers by RUSAL, with over 150 workers suffering termination, and Hinds did absolutely nothing. Not even supporting calls for arbitration, as called for by the workers.
Continuing, how could he, as this supposed “bridge’’ between African Guyanese and the government which he had served, have been deathly quiet as scores of his African Guyanese countrymen were regularly murdered by death squads? Did he ever voice his displeasure, discomfort and concern for the racist marginalization, again, of the people for whom he had pledged to build a “bridge?” Is he aware that the marginalization has been so bold and calculatedly brutal that all of the nation’s resources had been transferred to one section of the nation, thus leaving Afro Guyanese to look for economic opportunities as mere strangers? These are some of the questions for this former PPP/C government Prime Minister.

I would, as a Guyanese that would have keenly noted the nation’s political landscape for some time, be hard-pressed to describe Hinds’ contribution to Guyanese politics and government, although he would have had the distinction of being CARICOM’s longest- serving Prime Minister. The question, therefore, would be – just who was Samuel Archibald Hinds during those long years of criminalised PPP/C government? What did he really contribute towards Guyana? And how could he justly repeat the mantra, asking the President and cabinet to resign when he had refused to vacate a seat which he had been fully aware his party did not win, and which rightly had been the AFC’s? It was reported in the media that despite assurances given by Gocool Boodhoo that the necessary adjustment would have been made, it never did materialize, resulting in what had clearly been another example of rigging, compliments of Boodhoo and the PPP/C. And Samuel Hinds would have been a functioning member of the PPP/C GOVERNMENT DURING SUCH TIMES.
Regards
Aditya Panday