GANESH Mahipaul asked me why I am not writing on the Dharamlall episode. I told him the matter is sub judice, but he rightfully pointed out to me that Mr. Dharamlall has not been charged, so it cannot be sub judice.

Mr. Mahipaul is an Opposition parliamentarian; he has a position to take which suits his agenda. Mr. Mahipaul is an anti-government personality; I am not anti-government, and I say that, unapologetically. Mahipaul’s political perspectives and political songbook have nothing in common with mine.

I see the Guyana Government as democratically elected, and operating with a democratic style that is more pronounced than many other democratic countries; those with a style of governance we in the Third World have been indoctrinated to believe is a pure form of democracy, whereas it is not.

Three examples before we return to the Dharamlall/Mahdia case studies. (1) The current British Prime Minister did not face an election within his country, within his own party and from among his parliamentary colleagues.

The democratic thing to do was to allow a vote of party members or party parliamentarians for any person who wanted to become their party leader, including those who would have received just one vote; their own.

(2) The prosecution of Julian Assange is an assault on journalism.

(3) The US has a jail on the island of Guantanamo in Cuba, where prisoners have not been tried and sentenced for over 20 years. No doubt, there are terrorists among them. But if you arrest them for terrorism, then try them and jail them.

I am not anti-government, so there will be no propaganda from me about the Dharamlall case. My position is one that is commonsensical, and morally sound. A man has been accused; then, let the police do their work.

I have a wife and daughter, therefore, I believe crimes against women and children must be treated with urgent response, and there must be immediate legal processes.
As a human rights activist with over 55 years of experience, and as an academic since 1978, I believe society must accommodate differing viewpoints, and there must exist an environment where opposing political positions must be tolerated.

Just a quick diversion. Last Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the Freddie Kissoon/Gildarie Show. Our guest was Mikhail Rodrigues, whose studio and social media platform the show uses, free of cost.

Rodrigues informed me on the programme that his platform provides a show run by key figures in an opposition party named ANUG, and the hosts of the programme have been critical of him. I told Rodrigues, openly, that I hope he allows the ANUG show to continue.

In Guyana, there are those who use free speech to mask an anti-government agenda. But others must denounce that agenda, and I am prepared to do so. I see that Ouija board of conspiracy being played out with naked immorality with the Mahdia massacre.

The usual suspects; the lunatic fringe and all the opposition parties blamed the government for the Mahdia fire. Twenty victims of that inferno were used on the altar of anti-government hate.
The anti-government crusade wanted the 20 murder charges to be dropped and substituted with a mere arson charge, and for the alleged arsonist to be given psychological counselling, with access to her family at all times.

Just imagine, this person is accused of killing 20 very young humans. In dead Guyana, the family of the 20 victims did not even respond with a comment on this evil. In any other country, the usual suspects would have faced a violent confrontation.

The sharks came out, once the Dharamlall situation was made public. Please note that what Dharamlall is accused of is terrible, but the sharks will ignore moral principles, and use their Ouija board to release jumbies on the government.

Vice-President Jagdeo said that the situation must not be tried in the court of social media. But mainstream journalism in Guyana could be as reckless, debauched and sadistic as social media.
The mainstream media was the conduit for the manipulation of the Mahdia tragedy to weaken the government. The deification of the alleged arson came from letters from the usual suspects in the mainstream media.

It is happening in the Dharamlall scenario equally in the mainstream media, as in social media. Let me quote Eusi Kwayana in a letter in the mainstream media that is a barefaced politicisation of the Dharamlall drama. He wrote, “…there is every sign of cover-up and official participation in this cover-up.”

This is coming from a man who lets the public know, often, that he cannot pronounce on things in Guyana, because he lives far away. On Wednesday, it was Mahdia. On Thursday, it is Dharamlall. There will be more.