Dear Editor
SO, Odinga Lumumba, former well-known PPP/C Member of Parliament, has been let out of the ethnic political stable of his party to soothe Afro-Guyanese with the assuring message that “Mark Phillips selected as PPP Prime Ministerial candidate to Address Afro-Guyanese interests,” headline, Demerarawaves, January 17, 2020.

If Lumumba had any self-pride and respect for decency, he would not have allowed himself to be used by his party bosses for conveying such a condescending and belittling statement that can only be described as preposterous, presumptuous, and insulting to the pride and dignity of Afro-Guyanese.

Editor, there are so many aspects of the statement that expose the high duplicity, hypocrisy, pretence, and deliberateness of the Robb Street cabal who believe that their entreaties – insincere, false, dishonest, hollow as a bamboo pole and a sop with no substance – can, and will entice Afro-Guyanese to their camp for vote-casting purposes, same as what the PPP/C did to the sugar workers, by only nurturing their support for electoral voter support, but doing nothing to halt the decline of an industry which they knew had been slowly dying for years.

But since this statement is from an Afro-Guyanese, explaining that another Afro-Guyanese will be genuinely interested in the affairs of Afro-Guyanese, it brings into immediate focus, the question as to what Lumumba, once perceived as a very prominent Afro-Guyanese member of the PPP/C, ever did for Afro-Guyanese during his political heyday in the PPP/C.
He was seen as one of the few Afro-Guyanese PPP/C members, very close to the Jagdeo throne and had probably been there, because of another perception that given his political background, of formerly belonging to Afro-Guyanese political bases, and popular sports promoter, that he had his finger on the pulse of Afro-Guyanese political and social expectations. Thus, his being appointed as Presidential Adviser for Empowerment was as expected, since it was natural, given his socio-political background. His track record may perhaps be summed up in a Stabroek News caricature many years ago, by an illustration of body-building with a description of “self- empowerment’’ written on the weightlifting bar. That spoke as much for what had been the general opinion of this high-profiled PPP/C Afro-Guyanese. In fact, it is only fair that we be reminded to ask ourselves the following questions:

• What did he do when young Afro-Guyanese were being murdered by the death squads? Maybe, it was good for him to get Afro-Guyanese to participate in sporting activities; perhaps with the view of getting them to support his party – but he never raised his voice in protest when they could not have walked our streets without fear of being shot down; physically assaulted, or thrown into detention, without cause.

• Did we hear his voice in protest when Afro-Guyanese contractors were being overlooked, in deference to other made-overnight contractors from another segment of our society? Such a disgraceful discriminatory line has had deleterious effects on Afro-Guyanese contractors’ ability to build capacity for substantial contracts.

• Did he know that it was only Guyanese doctors of one ethnicity who were being afforded post- graduate scholarships by his party’s government? What did he do, as a matter of policy, to have brought equity and justice to this outright situation that would have caused many well-deserving Afro-Guyanese doctors to flee the local medical system. The distinguished and eminent Guyanese acute medicine specialist at the Nottingham Hospital, Dr Mark Devonish, has often- times written about this discriminatory onslaught that had been committed against him and fellow Afro-Guyanese doctors. His accounts illustrated what it had been like, to function as an Afro-Guyanese professional, in a society where ethnic dominance/marginalisation had been the guiding policy for awards of government scholarships.

• Did Lumumba ever raise his voice when Afro-Guyanese communities were being discriminated against by being denied proper roads, street lights, sanitation, and other community improvement initiatives?

• What did he do when his then party boss and president of Guyana sent Linden to the depths of a depressed community by closing Linmine? Did Lumumba recall this travesty, inclusive of which as the non-payment of severance to those terminated workers? Again, what did Lumumba do?

• Did he raise his voice to the debilitating sum total of Afro-Guyanese marginalisation, and discrimination that had become a policy of his party’s policy of institutionalised racism?

• And has he ever called upon his political party bosses for them to admonish their supporters to cease their incessant attacks via social media against Afro-Guyanese, because of ethnicity? And of their vile falsifications of issues and stereotyping about Afro-Guyanese culture? And that their Freedom Radio, an insult to all that is understandably democratic, cease its daily incitement?

• What did he do at the shameless deluge of race by PPP/C-inspired internet trolls, when Guyana and Ghana signed an air connection agreement between the two countries. This was an example of racism carried to another level, by supporters of the very party of which he is a member, and on whose behalf he has now come to mouth another of its well- known deceptions.

Editor, any Guyanese, even if partially au fait with, or privy to, the events of the last 15 years, the least, that took place in our country would give the obvious and resounding answer — NO.

Lumumba as an Afro-Guyanese made high-profiled member of the PPP/C party, failed Afro-Guyanese just as Samuel Hinds did. Was it just a case of either being oblivious to the cause and plight of Afro-Guyanese? Or simply selfish, or both? Or that the PPP/C’s political guidance/advisory had been written in a manner that prescribed no real power which can be used to elevate Afro-Guyanese to better and improved socio-economic status? The answers, here again, are only too obvious, because of the grim reality of Afro-Guyanese actual socio-economic status becoming apparent as their degradation gradually became a fact of life, but fully realised, when the coalition administration entered office in May 2015.
But such a statement by Lumumba would also express and confirm the fact, admitting of past PPP/C governments’ failure in being genuine about the interest of Afro-Guyanese as a part of this nation, and their right to be participants in its socio-economic benefits. And in this regard, one just only has to understand where the shift of the country’s socio-economic wealth been directed, during these past 23 years.

The fact that Jagdeo has been constant in his calls for his party and supporters to “take Guyana back,” sends a clear message and understanding to the mass of Afro- Guyanese, that they are going to be made virtual outsiders in a country and all that it has to offer, rather than being a part of the Great Benab and benefitting, as the present David Granger-led administration is doing for all the races, regardless of political affiliation.

A particular point to note, has been the false accusations of land-grabbing made against Afro-Guyanese. Is this not sending a particular message about Afro- Guyanese, malicious and stereotypical, while also subtly conveying that they do not have the right to partake of the national patrimony, or be owners of material wealth.

It does not get any better, when one notices all of the usual vested interests, ensuring that they position themselves opportunistically for the oil and gas sector, through mainly political ties that characterise the local traditional private sector, and what their benefits through political collaboration would have been. One could go on stating more examples, as to why the PPP/C never had a policy for fair treatment of Afro-Guyanese, and will not have, because of a decided policy of non-inclusion.

Regards
Earl Hamilton