CHEDDIE JAGAN promulgated a theory of politics in general and particularised it in Guyana. Jagan contended that personalities that are violently and uncompromisingly ultra-leftist, ultra-communist, ultra-socialist and ultra- anti-imperialist end up at the opposite spectrum where they become ultra-rightist, ultra-imperialist, ultra-colonial-minded and ultra-capitalist.
In Guyana, Jagan’s prediction became a reality and Guyana saw the incredibly shocking transformation of ultra- socialist, ultra-communist Guyanese political activists into unapologetic embracers of neoliberal capitalism and adopted the shameless narratives of imperialism.
Jagan’s theory found early expression in Martin Carter, an offensive, shameless supporter of imperialist penetration of Guyana who, in his young life, was an ultra-communist Stalinist who got expelled from the PPP in the early 1950s for accusing the PPP under Burnham and Jagan of being too soft on British colonialism in Guyana and for not embracing Stalinism and communism.
After being expelled from the PPP, Carter worked at the British Council, then became the chief PR man for Booker imperialism in Guyana. Carter, the former wild communist, spent a greater part of his life in Guyana serving Booker imperialism. Guyana, at the time, was nicknamed Booker Guiana.
Jagan popularised his theory when an organisation was formed in Tiger Bay named the Movement Against Oppression (MAO). This organisation’s acronym was deliberately shaped after the name of the founder of communist China, Mao-Tse-Tung. MAO was transformed into the WPA and like MAO, the WPA accused the PPP of being a timid Marxist organisation, not radical enough. For Jagan’s theory, see his article, “Guyana: A New Stage,” Thunder, Vol. 3. No. 3, July-Dec 1971.
Jagan’s genius is available for anyone to see in today’s Guyana. The survivors of MAO and the WPA become pro-capitalist, pro-West and racist. One survivor of MAO and the WPA became the common-law wife of a man who advocated the extinction of Guyanese Indians. Clive Thomas wrote a book on socialism. Rupert Roopnaraine was the leading Caribbean Castroite. Both Thomas and Roopnaraine became influential leaders in the neo-liberal, capitalist government of APNU/AFC. Many of the current survivors from the MAO and WPA days are sickening racists in today’s Guyana.
This has been too long an introduction to the main theme of this column – those who say that they are pro-Black, and anti-imperialist are the leading devotees of the Stabroek News (SN), showering praise daily the past week on a newspaper that is shamelessly pro-West, pro-imperialist and wearing its Mulatto/Creole class bias on its sleeve. Such a newspaper is now the darling of people who say that the West installed the PPP government in 2020.
Could you have a larger contradiction than this at the moment? So, the West put the PPP in government in 2020 and ousted the APNU+AFC coalition from power. But the paper of the West in Guyana is seen as the colossal embodiment of freedom. The paper that was started by a grant from the American Government, resurrected the moribund, Mulato/Creole class in Guyana and has been a staple diet of Western narratives, is now eulogised by whom?
Let’s see by whom. Let’s look at the perennial face of ACDA, Eric Philips, one of the Guyanese who says his life is dedicated to African rights. He eulogises SN in yesterday’s (Wednesday) edition of SN and the contradiction shows its nasty presence. Mr. Philips’ organisation accepts that the West put the PPP in government in 2020, but offers high praise to the only Guyanese newspaper that is openly pro-West and unapologetically so. Mr. Philips ended his letter by quoting one of the purest imperialist politicians in Guyana, the late Martin Carter.
Let’s move to Ralph Ramkarran. When he was a guest two months ago on the Freddie Kissoon Show, he described his politics as being left-wing and coming within the tradition of socialist perspectives. But he eulogises the SN that is openly hostile to left-wing perspectives and openly pro-capitalist and was hostile to the Cheddi Jagan government from 1992 until Jagan’s death in 1997. Jagan, of course, is the hero of Mr. Ramkarran.
In 1993, Mr. DeCaires did an editorial on President Jagan warning Guyana that Jagan was still a communist. Twice in the past few days, I quoted the words of David DeCaires, the founder of SN, who said that SN was founded on the plank of capitalism in Guyana.
Finally, the big and bad human rights activist, Tacuma Ogunseye. Like his African rights colleague, Eric Philips offered immense praise to SN, but got himself caught on a barbed-wire, Freudian fence. The official position of the WPA, like ACDA, is that the West installed the PPP in 2020 but like Phillips, Ogunseye sees nothing wrong with praising Guyana’s only pro-West daily. Part 4 of the birth and death of SN will continue in a few days’ time.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.
