Dear Editor,
The Stabroek News is noticeably biased against those who do not agree with their editorials and political line. Most of us would like to know why they promote Mr Ralph Ramkarran, who is a very prominent PPP official and who sits on the editorial board of the PPP Marxist-Leninist journal, Thunder.
Readers would note that the story in yesterday’s edition (May 28) of the Stabroek News entitled: ‘Ramkarran calls for decriminalizing of same sex lifestyles’ is entirely based on an article Mr Ramkarran wrote article in the Weekend Mirror, the PPP propaganda newspaper.
Editor, I hope you can explain to your readers your rationale, and why you openly promote Mr Ramkarran rather than actively supporting the national ethos of Guyana – ‘One Nation, One People, One Destiny’ – which can be achieved only through a national unity government?
Mr Ramkarran said in his article that “Homosexuality and lesbianism are now recognized as alternative lifestyles and people should be free to conduct themselves as they see fit providing they do not harm others.” Most Guyanese will scoff at this suggestion, and that this way of life is an “alternative” one.
Am I so daft not to understand what the word “alternative” means, or has the newspaper misquoted him again?
I would agree with him that people’s privacy must be respected, but we don’t have to agree with this lifestyle, and equally, people must have the right to disagree with it and not to encourage it. Society at large is well aware of the existence of people who practise homosexuality, lesbianism and bisexualism, and have lived with it. Why make it an issue now?
My question to Mr Ramkarran is, who in Guyana is attacking people with a “different sexual orientation” or “lifestyle,” as he puts it? Is there any physical attack of any consequence against this relatively small section of the population who identify with this type of lifestyle? I would like him to present the statistics.
Mr Ramkarran is not genuine in his approach to politics in Guyana, especially a working class or multi-racial one. And this is not a personal attack on him. He is a family friend. The space here does not allow me to go into any detail, but I can say for now that all these mutterings about gay rights are a very opportunistic ploy to appease the international funders who have caused great harm to our economy and our country as a whole.
One would recall that when the current Foreign Affairs Minister and Gail Teixeira went to the United Nations last year, they did not agree to remove the law of “buggery” from the statute books. The Ramotar-PPP minority regime may not be looked on favourably by international donors and may not receive further funding to continue their disastrous rule.
Mr Ramkarran must also note that other people in Guyana have rights which have been trampled upon for more than 10 years under his ‘collective leadership’ as Speaker of the National Assembly and an executive member of the PPP. He is not known to have spoken out vociferously against these violations; why does he choose to tackle only soft targets?
Mr Ramkarran writes regularly in the PPP Mirror newspaper and theoretical organ, the Thunder, but does not advocate, as a long-standing attorney-at-law, the establishment of serious legal reforms to stop bribery and corruption in the judicial and legal professions, which could clean up the current mess and engage us in a process to ensure that ordinary citizens can get competent service at a reasonable cost and consequently guarantee real justice and fair-play in Guyana.
He ought to publicly campaign for changes in the PPP constitution, where the party members are denied very basic fundamental rights, such as electing presidential candidates and suchlike officials.
He needs to get clauses inserted into the PPP constitution whereby such persons can be removed by the party at a special conference, and thus prevent the destruction of the party and government, as Mr Jagdeo was allowed to do.
Yours faithfully,
Jinnah Rahman
