Dear Editor,
1. Mr Granger has indicated that he wants to be president and hopes that the PNCR will nominate him for that position. He will lose to the PPP/Civic in a more devastating way than the PNCR did in the 2006 elections. We, the citizens of Guyana, need new hats and new faces of change instead of the same old, same old, and Granger is certainly not the choice for real change. Where has his voice been for real change in this country? How come he never challenged the socialism/communism of the past? How come he never really elaborated a comprehensive approach to the problems facing the PNC and defended that party from the strong assault on its political base by the AFC in 2006? Where was he when division and political conflict erupted in the ranks of the PNC in recent times and a healing hand was needed? The answers to the above questions will haunt Mr Granger if he succeeds in becoming the nominee, until the last ballot box is closed, counted at the place of poll and delivered safely to the elections commission – unlike the scenario the people of Guyana had to endure when, in 1973, as a high-ranking officer in the GDF, he should have been well aware that the army was a prominent player in those rigged elections.
2. Mr Ramkarran is at it again, trying to eke out some semblance of being in a fight for the PPP’s nomination when he knows full well that the rules for nomination will remain the same, and as such he really has no chance. At least Moses is putting up a fight, calling for real changes in the way the leaders of that party are chosen. Ramkarran does not even have the political courage to make a stand and fight it out; no, he’ll go along with ‘democratic centralism’ like a fly in a trap, never imagining his imminent political demise. With a lacklustre political history, a personality devoid of leadership qualities and a ‘toe-the-line’ political approach, Mr Ramkarran is definitely not a change candidate and as such presents nothing much to the Guyanese people. He should withdraw and let the leadership selection process not embarrass him. His latest letter (‘Brigadier Granger may wish to consider…’ SN, October 5) where he becomes the hatchet man against Mr Granger is not in character.
3. Moses Nagamootoo is trying to break the ground rules of the ruling party, the PPP, and he will be destroyed politically in the process because for all these years, Moses has been a communist with a commitment to Lenin’s concept of a strong centralized party following the precepts of the undemocratic ‘democratic centralism.’ Moses has never wavered in his belief in Marxism-Leninism and its concomitant ravages of all the real benefits of a real democracy. He is calling for a nominating process which involves the general regular members and supporters of the PPP, like that of the USA when in fact, he has always upheld undemocratic processes. Democratic centralism is a bogus doctrine dedicated to the back-room politics of the past. Therefore, what we have in Moses’ play for power is in fact, rank opportunism and a betrayal of his own philosophy – one based on the same dogmas he now wants to criticize. He’s no President Cheddi; at least Jagan stood his ground and fought to preserve his beliefs and his party while trying to change with the times.
4. GHK Lall is at it again, week after week, with the same rigmarole we are accustomed to by now; this man needs to get real. Mr Lall is obviously bent on confusion and delusion, and he is hell-bent on trying to be some kind of guru when it comes to political discourse; he is really a guru of illogical reasoning and will carry right on with his nonsense. He and Freddie Kissoon should join hands with each other as they share a common bond.
5. Vishnu Bisram is at it again with his spin on the voting patterns of Indians worldwide. How can he be trusted to do an impartial poll in our country when he has these falsehoods as the base of his political philosophy? What have the voting patterns of Indians in Fiji or elsewhere to do with the entrenched voting patterns here in Guyana? There are definite racial voting patterns here in Guyana that can be explained and understood in the context of the subjective and objective factors existing in our country – factors which cause not only Indians to vote in a racial pattern but other races as well. Bisram pokes his nose repeatedly into the serious business at hand of trying to solve these voting patterns for the good of all Guyanese citizens and just as he’s a fake with his polls, he’s a bigger fake with his ‘goody two shoes’ approach to serious political discourse. His letters and views make GHK Lall’s nonsense columns look like the writings of Thomas Jefferson or Winston Churchill.
6. The recent killing of the young lady for her cell phone which appeared in your headlines reminded me of the attack on my daughter for her cell phone. The guilty offender(s) in the Sheema Mangar case should be given a speedy trial and if found guilty of murder should be given the death sentence.
7. Emile Mervin, I see, has trimmed down the length of his letters and that is to be complimented; his long-winded diatribe has now become compressed diatribe.
8. The stelling in Essequibo is a national disgrace after all that money has been spent; if it’s the ministry’s fault then heads should roll right away. We, the citizens work hard and contribute heavily to the financing of this economy. Without us, the treasury will be empty; without us, the ministries would fall apart; without us, the contractors would starve. So, where’s all the money going to? And now, look at what we have – blame thrown around, left, right and centre, and we citizens are left out in the cold, as usual.
9.It’s amazing that Eric Phillips can quote Mahatma Gandhi when in the blog section in Stabroek letters a few months ago I quoted Gandhi in a response to his blog and he wrote back ‘cussing out’ the Mahatma. Mr Phillips is stuck on the West minister model as our albatross in going forward, but his narrow vision of change negates the real changes we need in Guyana. We need not only to change the political structures but the whole framework of life and living which the citizens have to endure. Matahma Gandhi said the there should be in our political framework a place for the Kingdom of Heaven, and until we attain that Gandhian centerpiece, corruption, nepotism and division will rule us as it has for many years.
10. I am no Clico investor, but if the President will pay out money to cover those people who have been hurt, then he should be congratulated. However, he should launch a public inquiry (legislative) as soon as possible and punish those responsible for any wrongdoing. It is time for drastic action when the chickens come home to roost.
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr)
