Dear Editor,
Mr Rickford Burke, long an apologist for the most backward elements of the PNC (if the PNC has not disowned him as yet) who regularly appeals to base instincts, has surpassed himself with inflammatory incitements. His reference to “a noose around the collective neck of African Guyanese” and others in his letter of Saturday November 17, 2007 is the latest.
Hoyte’s call on the rampaging mobs for “moh fyah” and appeals to police not to stop their “kith and kin” from violently exacting tribute on the streets is the type of PNC that Mr Burke wants.
The fact that people of Guyana and many of the PNC’s supporters have rejected this strategy and forced Mr Corbin in the direction of dialogue is just too much for Mr Burke. That is why the call by those who oppose Mr Corbin is for more confrontation with the PPP.
To keep the race pot boiling, Mr Burke pulls from the propaganda gutter the old tale about the PPP advocating “apan jhaat”. This is what Dr Jagan said about it:
“What was more alarming was the crossfire of racism in which we were caught. The NDP and the League of Coloured People attempted to woo support away from us by appealing to African racism. Their propaganda line was simple enough – the PPP was Indian-dominated, and Burnham, and the African, were only being used. On the other hand, in the countryside, the Indian voters were told that I was sacrificing the interests of the Indians and selling out to the Africans. Crude religious and racist appeals were made by the Hindu Pandits and Debidin’s United Farmers’ and Workers’ Party respectively. They exploited the issue of the West Indies Federation, which the PPP strongly supported. We were attacked by Indian racist leaders like Daniel P. Debidin, who argued that Indian interests in Guiana would be lost and submerged in an African-dominated Federation. And so originated the slogan ‘apan jhaat’ (literally, own race) – the use of racist emotionalism to frighten the Indians away from the PPP. This was what led the PPP at the 1953 general election to include in its manifesto the call for a referendum on the question of whether or not Guiana should enter the Federation.”
Finally Mr Burke said: “I challenge the writer to state which African Guyanese the PPP is willing to make its leader.” Dr Roger Luncheon, Mr Burke! It is in the public record that when in 1991/1992 the GUARD Movement opposed Dr Jagan’s candidacy for President, he nominated Dr Roger Luncheon. The GUARD Movement rejected Dr Jagan’s proposal on the ground that Dr Luncheon was black, but also red.
Maybe Mr Rickford Burke does not recall this episode because he was either too busy making plans to emigrate to the US leaving his brothers and sisters in Guyana to their fate with the “noose” around their necks, according to him, or too busy settling in to his new life in the land of freedom.
Yours faithfully,
Ulric Ramanah
Central Committee Member, PPP
