Dear Editor,
The truth hurts. My recent letter ‘It’s a moral imperative that these two imbalances be addressed,’ published in Kaieteur News of Sunday, September 13 (and not by the Stabroek News) have brought some of the main defenders of executive lawlessness and constitutional illegalities out of their hiding places.
First John Da Silva (‘Electors have a right to vote for the party of their choice’ Kaieteur News, September 15) states, “President Jagdeo has said that he is not interested in a third term, which he can easily win by a landslide. He himself signed into law the limit of two terms. It was a clear understanding between the PPP and the Civic that the Office of Prime Minister will always go to the Civic and the Presidency to the party.”
The truth of the matter is that President Jagdeo cannot run for a third term. I doubt President Obama and the United States Senate will allow this given the information gathered in the Roger Khan plea bargain. The Sam Hinds situation shows the calculated disdain the PPP has for the Constitution of Guyana. There goes the myth the PPP is a multi-racial party. If this were so, Sam Hinds would have been the President of Guyana. Is he less qualified than Janet Jagan or Bharrat Jagdeo?
Joining John Da Silva in the justification of unjust and racist behaviour is the well known Harry Hergash. In a September 15 Stabroek News letter entitled ‘Timing is important’ he states, “Mr. Phillips seems to have missed the story that Africans in the PNC did not elect Mr Murray recently as the leader of that party, although Mr Murray is seen as an outstanding party member with all the requisite qualities to be leader.”
Mr Murray received over 200 mainly African votes at the last PNC elections. He lost the elections because he did not campaign in villages and in the main towns of Guyana, even though he well knew Robert Corbin wasn’t going to give him anything on a platter. As to leadership qualities, there are far many better leaders than Janet Jagan or Bharrat Jagdeo, but they too were not elected or selected.
Finally, Dr Randy Persaud writes in SN, (‘Appropriate interference’ September 15) “Guyanese are still delighted that Jimmy Carter ‘interfered’ in Guyana to end authoritarian rule.” His next logical statement should have been, “Guyanese should show delight when President Obama ‘interferes’ to end unconstitutional and dictatorial rule in Guyana.”
Strangely, neither Randy Persaud, Harry Hergash nor John Da Silva have commented on the three key assertions, in my letter, namely:
Evil doesn’t last forever and as Martin Luther King said: “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it”.
When a government can purposefully ignore its constitution, the same constitution that empowers it through an election and gives it legitimacy, then that government has no right to rule any more.
Second, the sad reality is that the vast majority of PPP supporters will not allow themselves to vote for any other party regardless of the Jagdeo government being a ‘rogue’ government that has permitted extra-judicial killing and torture and has marginalized non-supporters.
Third, the government is indicted by its human rights abuses. Roger Khan is a hero. President Jagdeo is a hero. He is now being touted for a third (constitutionally illegal) term.
Guys and gals, your slips are showing.
Yours faithfully,
Eric Phillips
