Dear Editor,
The respected Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Aubrey Norton, owes it to the People of Guyana to clarify why he apparently lied about the nature of his photo-op with Mr. Phillip Davis, the Prime Minister of Bahamas who also holds the position as Chair of CARICOM.

On March 3, APNU/AFC published a photo on its social media page of Mr. Norton and Mr. Davis together.

The only thing that seems to be happening in the photo is the PM gifting Mr. Norton a copy of “Cat Island,” a book authored by his son.

On March 6, an online media outfit, Caribbean Life, amplified APNU/AFC’s claim that Mr. Norton had travelled urgently to Nassau to “brief” the PM “on a range of issues relating to the racially-charged governance in Guyana.”

Caribbean Life, it appears, made zero effort to verify Mr. Norton’s spin. His paper’s headline shouted: “Opposition says Guyana’s Indo-led government is starkly racist.”

On the other hand, credit must be given to Denis Chabrol of Demerara Waves for his effort to verify the claims with the Office of the Bahamian PM.

In his Saturday March 4 article, two days before Caribbean Life’s article was published online, Chabrol quoted Mr. Davis denying that he was briefed by Mr. Norton.

The PM said his meeting with Mr. Norton lasted between four to five minutes and said it was a courtesy handshake as a favour to a mutual friend. The PM also reiterated that he met with Mr. Norton as PM and not as the Chair of CARICOM.

Why would APNU/AFC, Mr. Norton and their echo-chamber go to such lengths to falsify the nature of a simple handshake?

Back to Caribbean Life’s spin, APNU/AFC is determined to sell a lie to the international diplomatic community.

Anyone who is prepared to make a charge of racism ought to have a modicum of decency to tell the truth, especially when a simple email to a sitting PM in the Caribbean region can clarify what occurred and didn’t occur in a meeting.

The writer believes that by repeating a tired lie often enough, sooner or later, some people will start believing it is true. The so-called evidence that the government of Dr. Irfaan Ali is racially targeting the PNC, pertains to the PNC’s headquarters in Lethem (Region Nine) — a building that the PNC has illegally occupied for 50 years.

The article in Caribbean Life claims that the PPP ordered the building to be demolished when, in fact, there is absolutely no proof the PPP issued any injunction to this effect. The claim is a lie. On the contrary, the PPP has offered to allocate land to the PNC, provided they apply.

Based on the 2018 Auditor General’s report – during the Presidency of the PNC’s Mr. David Granger – grave concerns were raised at the alarming number of properties that the PNC has illegally occupied, not only in Region Nine but all across Guyana.

The article fails to mention that the PNC was served three notices by the REO of Region Nine with respect to the Lethem property. In 2021, a letter was sent to the former APNU/AFC minister, Amna Ally. Two additional letters were sent to the same party’s General Secretary, Geeta Chandan-Edmond.

The PNC failed to acknowledge the notices and is now claiming foul. It is a well-known fact that the REOs of the regions that make up Guyana are the ones that often get slammed when they appear before the Public Accounts Committee, something that the article glossed over.

This particular property in Lethem was earmarked years ago for a health facility aimed at providing badly needed quality medical services to the deserving residents of Region Nine.

Yours respectfully,
Nazim Baksh