THE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has issued a statement urging all to join the governing party in the fight against all forms of racism and for equal opportunities for all in Guyana and farther afield. The release noted that the remarks of former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, at the funeral service of late PPP leader, Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, have attracted some criticism from the Opposition media, including the ‘Kaieteur News’ and the ‘Stabroek News’.

It pointed out that the Stabroek News even carried a lengthy editorial on Monday, April 15 in which it sought to malign Jagdeo. However, it emphasised that the former President was in fact speaking from the premise of equal opportunity for all, a principle which the PPP has always stood for.

According to the PPP, Mr  Jagdeo had even mentioned that throughout his life in the PPP he never heard any remarks in the party premised on capitalising on race. It stated strongly that the PPP is against any form of discrimination of people because of race, religion, gender or disability.

“What we are surprised at is the fact that Jagdeo’s remarks in condemning the previous colonial discrimination of Indians and its seeming re-emergence, as he showed, should have been so offensive to the Stabroek News. That newspaper, as indeed the Kaieteur News, never raised a critical voice against those who, day after day ,try to invent racism,” it stated.

The PPP further stated that these media entities never expose the continuing situation where political messages are tailored to the geography and ethnic make-up of the specific areas by the Opposition, and particularly the Alliance For Change (AFC).

According to the governing party, and as Mr Jagdeo had mentioned, the whole atmosphere that the opposition media is trying to create is to show that Indians in the public service did not get there by merit, but because the PPP discriminated against others. However,the PPP posited that this is regardless of the fact that Indians are in the minority in the Public Service.

It pointed out that the Stabroek News perpetuates this in its editorial by repeating “a half truth” when it said that, “What Mr. Jagdeo wants to cover is the growing questions that have arisen over his decision to select certain groups to the detriment of others.  The decision in the last days of his presidency to hand out licences and frequencies to certain individuals…remains a prime unresolved matter.”
The PPP statement related that implicit here is that only Indians got radio licences. It advised, though, that the reality is that four Indians were granted licences, along with four Afro-Guyanese and one Portuguese.
“What is the motive of only naming the Indians who received radio licences? Why are they not naming the five non-Indians who got their licence?  Is this not an attempt, on the part of the Stabroek News and the Kaieteur News to ferment negative feelings against Indo-Guyanese?” the PPP questioned.

It also emphasised that the media have a duty to be responsible,  and called upon all to join the fight against all forms of racism.