Dear Editor,
I offer a response to an explanation of Ms Sheila Holder (‘Supported report submitted to National Assembly not appointments’ SN, August 31) on her position on the report of the Standing Committee on Appointments of Parliament (SCP), a report that she endorsed when it was tabled. I feel compelled to offer a note on her offering because she mentioned my name in her letter. It is time stakeholders demand explanations from the leadership of the AFC, particularly Khemraj Ramjattan and Raphael Trotman on Ms Holder’s recent political behaviour. Not only are two episodes contrary to the expectations of the people who support the AFC, but Ms Holder’s interpretations are derived from an old political culture and do not offer hope that she will bring the necessary changes that we want to see in our opposition leaders
Each time Ms Holder puts pen to paper, the resulting emanations are discouraging for those she directs her pen to. I am of the opinion that Ms Holder is a person not inclined to say ‘sorry.’ I learnt a lot about her political style and culture at the last ERC meeting with Guyanese stakeholders. I remind readers what she wrote when I chastised her for not standing up against the authoritarian decision by ERC Chairman Juan Edgehill to expel the media, a jurisdiction he far exceeded. She exclaimed that her role as a politician is not to tell stakeholders what to do but to let them think for themselves.
I mean no insult to Ms Holder, but she leaves me with the impression that she herself needs to be encouraged how to think politically. She also adopted the epistemology of Edgehill by labelling our efforts (included here is MP Everall Franklin) to reject Edgehill’s edict as “creating a ruckus.” Quite frankly, I believe Ms Holder learnt few things, if any, from the outstanding political culture of the WPA when she represented them in Parliament
Now to the SCP report. It is the same old style of Ms Holder. Here are her own words trying to justify her endorsement of a PPP manipulated report that was as far from inclusive and transparent as the moon is from earth: “ I learnt a long time ago to value a management principle which recommends that one should act within one’s area of influence.” My problem is that she does not know what her area of influence is. There are times when I saw her in confusion about that role of hers. I would like to remind her that management principles are hardly relevant to the fluid, highly charged and philosophical world of politics. I would like to think that Ms Holder is aware that she belongs to such a world.
Was she applying management principles to parliamentary proceedings when she voted for the SCP report? Was the SCP report a product of management theories applied to the practical working environment or was it a result of narrow-minded politicians from the corridors of power who don’t care about Ms Holder, her party, the AFC, or the country, but only their own lust for power? Ms Holder continues to support many aspects of this government’s behaviour, behaviour that is egregious, nasty and immoral and instead of admitting a mistake she actually fights back and defends the indefensible.
Yours faithfully,
Frederick Kissoon
