REFERENCE is made to “Minister Edghill is right on UG Appointments” (GC Aug 14). One of the principles learned in academia and in the study of politics is that a caretaker or interim administration does not undertake new policy or appointments to any important agency or institution or vacancy. It is a basic principle that all governments and institutions honour. The APNU+AFC violated that norm. All appointments made during the status of the caretaker regime ends when a new administration takes over. The appointees at UG and other agencies should tender their resignations.

The APNU used its control over the UG Council to make appointments at UG, placing supporters in key positions. Three very important appointments were made at UG during the caretaker administration: JE Greene as Chancellor, Paloma Mohammed as VC, and Melissa Ifill as Deputy VC. Three appointments were made and none were Indians or Amerindians in a country where Indians and Amerindians are over 55% of the population. All three appointees are Pan-Africanists and view Marcus Garvey and other Pan-Africanists as heroes. Nothing is wrong with that position. They think nothing of Jagan and Gandhi. So we know where their loyalty lies in a racially divided country. Two of these appointments were made during the period of election- rigging (One in June and one on July 31). Why did the APNU-led government rush to make these appointments at the country’s only academic institution, when it knew it was only a caretaker? Anyone with academic integrity would resign from those posts rather than be asked to resign.  Should the appointments of the three be revoked?

Is it ethical for these appointees to stay on?  Already the university had become too politicised with the appointments of Ivelaw Griffith and now Paloma Mohammed- Martin and the other two.

Paloma Martin’s very first act as VC was to appoint a PNC ideologue as her assistant. Others would be coming. She saw nothing wrong in such an appointment. There is a lot wrong with it.

Paloma Mohammed is the wife of the deceased Afro-centrist Tony Martin, author of the book Race First (1986), a study of Marcus Garvey. The book treats Indians and other ethnic groups as non-existent.

Garvey (1887-1940) was a Jamaican political activist, black nationalist, and the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL, commonly known as UNIA).

Paloma Martin’s academic focus defines her ideology and her view on race conflict in Guyana. Like her deceased husband, Paloma Martin is an ardent follower of Garvey. She published a book on him entitled A Man Called Garvey: The Life and Times of the Great Leader Marcus Garvey (The Majority Press, 2004).

She is not interested in Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, Ayub Edun, Mahatma Gandhi, Balram Singh Rai, JB Singh, and other great Indian leaders or thinkers.

Mohammed comes across as a front for Black supremacist groups in Guyana. Her recent promotion of Afro-centrist historian, Dr Melissa Ifill as Deputy Vice Chancellor is just one example of the gate that has been opened by Paloma.

Dr. JE Greene is on record stating that the PNC made enormous electoral gains in Guyana during the period of Burnham’s rule when he knew elections were rigged.

Dr Ifill is a member of a group of black activists and well-known Africanists such as Hugh Tommy Payne, Nigel Hughes, Andaiye, Carl Greenidge, Dr David Hinds, Tacuma Ogunseye, among others.

On August 4 2014, the group hosted a Pan Africanist forum in conjunction with the Cuffy 250 Committee of Washington D.C. The forum was to be the theme: ‘The State of Black African Guyana: Time for Renewal and Empowerment’, at the African Cultural Development Association’s AKWAABA (Welcome) Centre at Thomas Lands.

I applaud the group for its Afro-centric and Africanist activities. I hope Indians, Amerindians, Chinese, and Portuguese would hold similar forums on their communities.

Paloma Martin should have made similar appointments to that of Melissa Ifill to balance the Afrocentricity of herself and Ifill. The ethnic biased appointment is sufficient ground for Paloma Martin to tender her resignation.

It is also the honourable thing to do since she was appointed by the Granger-appointed board during a caretaker administration. Such an appointment should have been for an interim board until the new government was sworn in.

Now that there is a legitimate government, a new university council must be convened and the position advertised. Martin could re-apply.

Ms. Sherry Hosein Singh
Cedar Hill Road,
Claxton Bay
Trinidad W. I.