THE infantile trouble with people is when they ooze fictions, deliver alternative facts and breathe lies; they never stop to think that a paper trail could indict them. This is exactly what happened to one of the humongous custodians of the WPA, Wasir Mohamed.
The ink on my Chronicle column wasn’t dried when Mohamed dashed off a condemnation of me for saying that in 1992 when the PPP came to power, the WPA rejected President Jagan’s offer of a Cabinet seat to then WPA’s co-leader, which the WPA rejected.
He wrote, on the contrary, the WPA accepted the offer. He rejected my submission that at that meeting of the WPA to decide on the offer, Rupert Roopnaraine argued against acceptance.
I quoted from David Hinds who stated that there was division among the WPA executives because the WPA felt that to be part of the PPP government would be seen by the WPA supporters as the WPA siding with one ethnic party against another. If you allow people like Mohamed and Hinds to get away with the vulgarisation of Guyana’s historiography, modern Guyana would have no history to examine and learn from.
At that meeting, the WPA concluded that it could not accept the offer. I now name two persons I know who argued against it apart from Roopnaraine – Moses Bhagwan and Eusi Kwayana. Bhagwan’s autobiography will be out next month, but unlike Moses Nagamootoo in his memoir, he will carefully avoid his obligation to Guyana’s historiography and avoid threading on sensitive issues.
I am absolutely sure Bhagwan will not even mention in a line, the stunning political mistakes the WPA made from 1979 to 2015 when it eventually got state power. I am waiting to read Bhagwan’s memoir to see how he treats the WPA’s role from 1979 to its acquisition of state power in 2015. I will have a lot to say because I have retained some of Bhagwan’s emails to me over a long period. I am absolutely sure Bhagwan will, with religious energy, protect the WPA’s sordid past.
The only people we read about and how flawed they were/are Dr Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, the PPP leaders past and present. We never read about Clive Thomas’s emasculated role in the APNU+AFC government. We never read about Roopnaraine’s relationship with the PNC over a 40-year period. We never read about the humongous depravities of the AFC when it had state power.
At 91 years of age, Bhagwan is going to take his secrets to the grave. At 90, Clive Thomas is going to take his secrets to the grave. At 101 years of age, Kwayana will not enrich Guyana’s historiography. Those apertures they leave will remain permanent. But Wasir Mohamed is still young, so he could plug some historical holes. But don’t expect any obligation from him and his soul mates from the 1970s who are still alive and writing.
One thing I have learnt from the survivors of the WPA from that era is that they are insanely protective of their comrades. These very people who accuse PPP leaders of protecting their own do exactly the same thing. When I learnt that Bhagwan is doing his memoir and Alissa Trotz and Nigel Westmaas are editing it, I got apoplexy. The two have sat down and decided – “nah, leave that out; yuh mad, don’t put that in.” Sadly, Guyana’s historiography will be poorer.
But let’s return to Wasir Mohamed but a quick word about David Hinds. He agreed that the WPA should not have accepted the Jagan offer because it would look as if the WPA was siding with one ethnic group against another. But how did the WPA arrive at that conclusion?
In fact, the WPA rejected the offer before it canvassed with the Guyanese people. I know for a fact they didn’t go to the Guyanese people with any inquiry as to what the nation thought. If they had, then, the Guyanese people would have accepted Clive Thomas as the Economic Affairs Minister.
Now back to Mohamed. He contends Roopnaraine didn’t vote against the offer. In fact, Roopnaraine’s presentation managed to persuade many persons at the meeting to vote against acceptance. Now here is what Leyland DeCambra, formerly of the UK branch of the WPA, told me.
When asked by the UK group why the WPA had rejected President Jagan’s offer, Roopnaraine said it was a trap set by the PPP because the economy was so destroyed in 1992 that Thomas’ impossible task of recovery would have destroyed the credibility of Thomas and the WPA. Secondly, DeCambra said Roopnaraine told them it was insulting for Jagan to decide which WPA personality should enter government. Over to you Wasir! But I bet you will hide.
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.
