Dear Editor
This is a response to “PPP extends Deepavali greetings to all Guyanese”in the Guyana Chronicle dated October, 26, 2019 where contained in its second paragraph: “Deepavali has transcended religious borders”.

I am least tolerant of hypocrisy and its practice; especially when it comes from a political party and its leaders, whose track record for trenchant misinformation, distortions of all types, with the inherently calculated intention of inciting disunity, is as clear as a searchlight highlighting an object in a night search.

Surely, while one must agree with the PPP/C’s message that the festival of Diwali transcend “religious borders’’, and ‘’has become a major component of the Guyanese cultural mosaic’’, its politico-cultural behavior has been very distant from this recognition, which is taken to mean that this national occasion, as all others, is primarily accepted and appreciated by all Guyanese, in a spirit of mutual respect. This, it is contended, should signal to the opposition and its leaders that despite our diversities, there are enough grounds to foster a national cohesiveness, rather than a deliberate policy of stoking the fears of ethnic insecurity, for political leverage, control, and holding of support base which continues to be the political masthead rallying call of the PPP/C.

And this has been the political notoriety of the PPP/C, which party continues to mouth what are really pretensions of goodwill, extolling the virtues of national unity, and the need for togetherness, but which are in fact platitudes and sop, to a certain section of our country.
In fact, its actual track record, never adds up to its practical doings. As an example, the Ethnic Relations Commission(ERC) that functioned during its tenure in government.
Editor, it is an undisputed fact that while the then chairperson, a man of the ‘cloth’ who spearheaded this supposedly vital commission’s message of tolerance and racial unity, through so many media reported outreaches, seminars etcetera; the government of the day, the PPP/C was executing its daily policy of institutionalized racism in all forms, made manifest in its open shameless policy of marginalization. It is ironical that this same cleric, still plays a major role in this party’s daily web of deception and ugly lies.
Surely, if the PPP/C contends that the ‘’Festival of Lights’’, as Diwali is popularly known, is an occasion of ‘’light over darkness’’ striking at the heart of ‘’spiritual darkness’’, then this party must also know that its actions are politically immoral which positions it into the latter category of darkness.

Jagdeo and other leaders of the PPP/C party, will only begin to be credible and accepted as genuine in such a message ‘‘…to build stronger bonds of togetherness…’’ when they cease using their Freedom Radio for broadcasting poisonous race hatred; demanding that their dark uses of Facebook racism ceases, and desist from using their media for ugly lies, fake news, misinformation etcetera. And this must be a sustained effort, measureable by corresponding results.

In the meantime, such a message is what it is – deceptive, and meaningless. There are no grounds for believing such a statement.

Regards
Earl Hamilton