Dear Editor
SO it is leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LPJ) Lennox Shuman, who has finally voiced publicly about the brutal abuse and exploitative behaviour towards the leaders of his Indigenous brethren, the toshaos, meted out by Nigel Dharamlall, a former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs in the PPP/C administration.
The fact that such disclosure is now made–coming from this new political leader who, himself, might have personally experienced this act of degradation–lends credence to earlier reports, and complaints emanating from among Indigenous peoples who were afraid to publicise such issues.

For any senior state functionary to cuss and chase leaders of any ethnic community, amounts to a most serious insult and denuding of their important office of leadership, inclusive of their people; no more or less, to the elected leaders of Indigenous communities.

This, is not only disrespectful and barbarous that is akin to reducing this well deserving segment of our nation of one nation, one destiny with utter contempt; but served to consign them to a position of mere strangers, or national appendages.
Editor, this is shameful and shocking from such a senior level of public service. But although known, even within the inner sanctums of Dharamlall’s party and government, there was no known public evidence of a reprimand at those times – according to sources such abuse of authority had been multiple – for such grievous insults.

In fact, it would seem that because of such an apparent omission that this now opposition party member of parliament, has continued unchecked, as had been the instance when he made disparaging remarks, without reason or cause, against the person of President Granger.

Dharamlall’s is a perfect example of the abuse and misuse of both power and authority, in a very important office that has to do with the lives and welfare of citizens. How could the Dharamlalls of this country be entrusted with political power again?
A most revealing aspect of Shuman’s statements has been concerning the role of the then much vaunted Community Support Officers (CSOs) who numbered in excess of 2000. To now be told that they were serving in the capacity of spies on their communities, further inform us as to the repression which the PPP/C regime had imposed on Indigenous communities, removing their rights to determine and decide what were important for the socio-economic development for their regions. This was typical of Stalinist political culture which the PPP/C knows only too well.

Editor, the CSOs, ever since disbanded, have been trained in skills that empower them in entrepreneurial endeavours for self-sustenance. They now see themselves as important contributors to their self-development, their communities for self-reliance, and to the nation.
This particular revelation by Shuman, has given more than an open window to the PPP/C’s monstrous misuse of human capital, particularly the youth of this nation.
Regards
Carla Mendonca