Dear Editor,
I would like to contribute to the discourse initiated by Mr. Osafo Modibo (KN07.11.17) and the responses by Lin Jay-Voglezon, F Skinner and Evan Thomas on the accusation that the Afro Guyanese leaders of the AFC are failing to address Afro Guyanese issues.
Modibo’s letter was to the point in accusing the AFC of being invisible when it comes to addressing the concerns of the Afro Guyanese community who incidentally were their main voters. He should however realize that the AFC was an experiment that failed, conceptualized by an international group who misunderstood the depth of our ethnic polarization especially among the PPP’s constituency. Voglezon did not respond to Osafo’s accusation which he could not defend, instead he opened a new topic in favour of PPP propaganda directed at emasculating especially the gullible and intellectual pretentions of the Afro Guyanese tribe. In two letters Voglezon expounded on the naive accusation that Afro Guyanese leadership is not developmentally effective. I know him well, so I am aware of his limitations to utter such a pronouncement.
Skinner admitted to living overseas for a lengthy period. Let’s look at the history: Burnham and the PNC took this country, a colony with deep seated colonial values based on self hate and complicated racism. Even with strong opposition and PPP sabotage the PNC with its Black leaders were able to establish an excellent national educational programme that embodied both academic and skill training.
Institutions like the Guyana Youth Corps, the National Service and the pioneer groups were essential to lifting a people en-masse out of the previous colonial social regimentation. Lin-Jay Harry (Voglezon) remained in his maternal cocoon and this process bypassed him.
Many of the contractors and support skills passed through those organizations, the structures, institutions, and skills were put in place by the post Independence Afro Guyanese leadership. After 1992, it was the PPP who usurped, undermined and destroyed many of these institutions. They transformed PPP supporters who were fishermen into contractors. Why do you think that thousands of skilled Afro Guyanese including teachers and nurses have emigrated under the onslaught of PPP leadership.
I however do agree with F Skinner when he mentioned in a past letter that it was socialism that eclipsed much in this country. I witnessed this myself at Kuru Kuru college when I was the secretary of the Kuru Kuru Agro – Young Settlers Co-op Society’ and at times the guidelines of who to sell our produce to was counter productive resulting in great loss of revenue.
Lin Jay’s last letter on the 01, Dec, -7 is tragic, but laughable, and is more of an AFC ‘buse out’ using him as a willing conduit than coming from himself as I have no knowledge at any time of him being a direct witness of any street protests, much less the mechanics involved.
Osafo’s accusation still stands despite the bobbing and weaving and attempts to create this or that fa?e. The question takes this form: Were representatives of the AFC at the funeral of Donna Herod? I was there, I know the answer. Do they yet understand what VAT is doing to homes? Have the leaders of the AFC made the connection on the rise of domestic murders. Does Lin-Jay think that the State resources of this country belong to the PPP? That ACDA whose members have an unbroken record of paying their fair share of taxes beyond 1966 does not have a right to our State funds? If that view reflects the thinking of the AFC then you should not even be in Parliament. Do F Skinner and E Thomas run businesses?
I know Lin Jay does not. I think that it is time you face the reality of those who have left the maternal cocoon and now bear the yoke of mortgages, children, tuition fees, putting food on the table, building businesses without political patronage, maintaining a level of integrity. I refer you to a letter by Michael Carrington (KN 07.11.18) on the banking system and you may understand why a great percentage of successful businesses in Guyana today are linked to the narco trade and money laundering, trafficking in people and smuggling to be successful. My friend Lin Jay must understand that the AFC was a nice experimental fad.
Osafo is cueing you in to the dynamics of the real world where by your works shall you be counted, and be found worthy.
Yours faithfully,
Barrington Braithwaite
