Dear Editor,

EMANCIPATION is not just the liberation of the physical state of a man, but also his mental, spiritual, social and economic position.

“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. The mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind.” Marcus Garvey.

Guyana is on the cusp of enormous wealth since our independence, and we should be preparing for such, but instead, some are fighting not only to be in the seats of power but the arrogance they possess leaves much to be desired. The major opposing political party, some members of the PSC, and some privileged social actors who benefited from the favours of the then ruling cabal project an attitude that seems to suggest that they are the chosen people to rule this country, and they should determine who should come and go to these shores.

They now find it difficult to continue to conceal their true racist makeup. The camouflage public mask they wore is now off for all to see. But know this, as it was posited many moons ago so eloquently by the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie 1 in an address to the United Nations General Assembly on October 4, 1963 and made even more popular by Reggae superstar Bob Marley, “Until the philosophy which holds ONE RACE superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war. “And until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes. And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to RACE, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained… now everywhere is war.”

The Oxford dictionary defines racism as “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.”
As we have defined racism, I wish to add that pointing out the many atrocities committed against people of African descent by the former PPP administration and their apologists is not racism as some usually cause, neither is it the promotion of violence or promotion of division. It is an undeniable fact that people of African descent in Guyana have been systematically marginalised under the PPP administration. Gay McDougal, United Nations Special rapporteur, completed a detailed report on the marginalisation of African Guyanese by the former PPP Administration, they cannot deny this. So now the PPP cabal and their supporters have embraced new tactics.

The grande architect of racism and discrimination, along with his apologists, have launched attacks and character assassinations on successful African Guyanese businessmen, but since these attacks were unsuccessful, new attacks are being levelled against our Haitian CARICOM brothers and sisters who are of African descent.
Mr. Editor, there may be nothing worse under heaven; there could be no greater crime than to attack a man’s integrity than to take away his freedom unjustly. The Haitians, their legal presence in this country, besides their Cubans, Chinese, Brazilians, Indians, and Venezuelans counterparts, seems to be terrifying Jadgeo, some members of the PSC, and those who want the PPP cabal establishment to return to the seats of power, so they can reign supreme. This particular idea they romance and fantasie about will not happen, thanks to fresh house-to-house registration and the leadership of David Granger.

In response to their malicious crusade against our Haitian brothers and sisters, the Minister of Citizenship is quoted in the Kaieteur News of Thursday, August 1, 2019 as saying, “The situation is being blown out of proportion, which is targeting Haitians unfairly. That they seek to mislead the public with generally false allegations that seek to tarnish the good name of the Department of Citizenship… All CARICOM nationals arriving in Guyana are granted six months to remain in the country, with the possibility of extension.”

One can no longer be maniacally bewildered by Jagdeo and his cronies who are strategically selective in their efforts to bring about a race narrative. The data shows as evidently there was no outrage when Indian nationals from the Blue Wave group were granted 60,000 hectares of land at US$12.50 (GY$2500.00) per hectare, per year for 199 years ( 107,639 square feet =1 hectare; total land granted 6,458,340,000 sq. feet or 600 square kilometers). When the Brazilian miner was given a lease and 18 licenses for 2.2 million acres of our land to exploit rare earths; when 289 only East Indian brothers and sisters were given land in the MMA (Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary) prior to 2015 without paying a cent; and when the Chinese company Bai Shan Lin was given thousands of hectares of land to build a State within Guyana in the Essequibo region, where was the outrage?

Four hundred mostly African Guyanese were killed without a fair trial or any formal gathering of evidence of criminal conduct (for a list of the 400 names please check my Facebook page). Courtney Crum-Ewing, former Queen’s College student and former soldier of the Guyana Defence Force who protested in front of the Ministry of Legal Affairs during the PPP administration, was mysteriously killed, and Ronald Waddell, the holder of a law degree, politician and social activist who was very outspoken against the PPP was also mysteriously murdered. Again the PPP apologists kept quiet while mayhem became the new norm.

They were very quiet when African Guyanese contractors were not given contracts, when Jagdeo was systematically marginalising African Guyanese and their communities. Guyana was once a drug-fueled economy, a major transshipment point for narcotics and yet his apologists kept quiet.
Now, some CARICOM nationals who happen to be of African descent arrived in Guyana, and there is an outrage. Anyone who is in doubt could check with the Ministry of Citizenship and they would be given information as to how easy it is for a CARICOM national to apply for a CSME certificate and be given indefinite stay in Guyana to live and work. Many people, especially our Indian brothers and sisters, fled this country under the terrible reign of Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP, seeking refugee status and permanent stay in other countries, but now Jagdeo and his apologists are outraged because Haitians are in Guyana?

In 2017, Guyana saw 247,330 tourists; in 2018 we received 286,000 tourists; and from January to May 2019, some 122,967 tourists arrived in Guyana and Jagdeo and his apologists choose to highlight and vilify a small fraction of those tourists – Haitian CARICOM Nationals who happen to be of African descent. How can one not conclude that some characters do not see Guyana as One People, coming together as a nation with a common destiny of living a good life. Some only see Guyana through the lens of race, and do not desire for social cohesion to work. But that will not happen under the leadership of David Granger as President. Let us endeavour to respect our fellow human beings, especially our brothers and sisters from the First Nation, to free themselves from slavery; the worse atrocity to have been bestowed on a people.

Regards,
Jermaine Figueira
Member of Parliament
Region Ten