Dear Editor,
With respect to Mr Freddie Kissoon’s comment about Mr Kwame McCoy, “Burnham would never have tolerated a Kwame McCoy as his spokesperson. Burnham would have consigned McCoy to a platoon in the National Service on Monkey Mountain,” I believe the average man would not for one minute identify it as containing any racial connotation. Mr Kissoon was merely saying that instead of making Mr McCoy his spokesperson, Comrade Burnham would have sent him to Monkey Mountain to train in the National Service.
To add insult to injury, the ERC has stepped in to “investigate.” What is there to investigate? The context in which the word ‘monkey’ was used is unambiguous, and should be enough to close the case. A call to the English Department at the University of Guyana would have unravelled the confusion. For the ERC to investigate something that is clearly not worth its time would only open the floodgates to frivolous complaints. The ERC should promptly conclude this “investigation” lest it loses its credibility.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
