Dear Editor,
The vicious assault on African Guyanese in the taxpayer funded Guyana Chronicle editorial dated July 2, 2012 was not only racially offensive but it served its main purpose which was to continue to drive fear and division among the races in Guyana who have managed to work and live together peacefully for many years.
More alarming is the lack of reaction which this editorial received. On one hand, it might be an indication of the relatively poor sales and circulation of the Guyana Chronicle or it could be the appalling apathy of the masses or a lack of understanding of the implications of such a racist and unchallenged point of view by an administration which purports to lead all of the people of Guyana.
The prevailing view, Editor, is that the editorial was not penned by the Chronicle’s editor, Mr Mark Ramotar, but that it reflected a more familiar racist and inflammatory perspective portrayed by one of the leading PPP/C propagandists. Editor, Mr Mark Ramotar should still be called to account for the hate-filled diatribe, however, since it is penned under his title and it was his decision to publish the offensive piece. The Guyana Chronicle should not be allowed to simply walk away from this document which identifies Afro-Guyanese as inspired to hate Indians, as violent, as out of control and as a group of people who should be feared by Indian Guyanese.
Thankfully, the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Roman Catholic Church was courageous enough to speak out, indicating that it was “deeply disturbed” by the editorial, and yesterday Mr Lincoln Lewis shared his rejection and displeasure at the hate-filled rhetoric espoused by the PPP/C government’s print media outlet. The editorial was also soundly criticized by the underground online publication BrutalFactsGt, but more telling, Editor, was the deafeningly silent reaction to the editorial by civil society in Guyana.
That a government entity (still today not censured) could pen such a viciously, racist piece and not elicit a sound rebuke from all of civil society is a sad reflection of the long way we as a people have to go to achieve racial unity and equality in Guyana. The implications of such wild, racist lies go a long way towards explaining why many Afro-Guyanese continue to face discrimination in the public service and in contract opportunities as evidenced in the findings published from Jagdeo v Kissoon.
Guyanese of all races must stand with civil society and international agencies to call for an end to racial exploitation in politics and to push for an equal, fair and a merit-based society in which citizens of all races who are willing to work hard can benefit from Guyana’s growth and development.
Mr Mark Ramotar should be forced to apologize and retract his editorial, and I call on the citizens of Guyana to acknowledge and embrace the critical role of “the people” in a democracy. The people must be free to speak and to protest without fear of retaliation. The people must inform themselves and hold all leaders accountable and the people must achieve based on ability, merit and willingness to work hard. Failure to hold firmly to these ideals will result in an unchecked government, willing to go to any lengths to maintain power and control. History has indicated that such stories never end well for the people or for the government.
Yours faithfully,
Karen Abrams
