Dear Editor,
Permit me to respond to Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee’s letter captioned “Strange advice from Mr Ogunseye” (08.04.15) . My first comment is that I believe it is unfortunate that the Minister has decided to make a premature exit from our discussion.
However, the fact that he chose in his letter to return to debating issues is a welcome development and an indication that he is capable of self reflection and can change course if he wants to. In his letter he addressed some issues I raised in my letter. This is how debate should be conducted – more so when it is done in the public media.
I had made the point in my letter that my attitude to public debate is political, and I engage in them with the sole purpose of developing public consciousness to bring about political change in the country. That remains my position.
The same is not true of Minister Rohee. This point assumes greater credence when he said, “I am intrigued by this African activist’s interest in the political well-being of a PPP leader and his offer to help with advice in order to save him from political self-destruction”. He undoubtedly finds my position to be strange and he went on to point out that he belongs to the PPP which I condemn – this he apparently sees as a contradiction.
My answer to Mr Rohee is that he is intrigued because he has lost his working class political culture and his politics is that of hate. Unlike Rohee, mine is not motivated by hate. I have no interest in the political destruction of the PPP as a party or the political destruction of its leadership. These are not matters for me but instead are matters for the Indian masses that support the PPP. My politics is aimed at reducing the PPP’s and any other party’s domination of the executive power of the state – hence my support for shared governance / executive power sharing.
In my previous letter I alluded to the treatment, which Mr Rohee received from his detractors when he was appointed to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. I had also made the observation that the criticisms of Rohee were rooted in class prejudices given his (Rohee’s) social and class background.
The Minister is now so far removed from his early days that he is clearly unable to recognize political solidarity on issues of class.
Minister Clement Rohee ended his letter with the following remark, “Incidentally, the security subtleties and implications of the African political activist’s advisement have not gone unnoticed”. Minister you are speaking in parables. This is not helpful for the building of public consciousness. Some of my comrades are saying that your remarks are sinister and constitute a clear, unbridled threat to me. If your remark is indeed a threat, Mr Minister, I have been around long enough for you to know that I cannot and will not be intimidated by your threats. Like you, “I am not a 1992 politician”.
Yours faithfully,
Tacuma Ogunseye
