Dear Editor,
My friend, the charming Dr Dolly Hassan has taken me to task to speak to Mayor Hamilton Green about the garbage situation in Georgetown (‘The PNC should concede that certain mistakes were made during its tenure,’ SN, June 11).
Before I venture a response, let me first say that I always admired her writings – always so refreshingly interjected with creative metaphors and images. I truly have benefited from both her literary and legal expertise.
At the meeting with David Granger in Queens, Dolly admitted she was not conversant with the day-to-day politicking in Guyana. She still cherishes memories of the indomitable Cheddi Jagan, and what was then the PPP. Hence, she might be surprised to know that Hamilton Green became Mayor of Georgetown in 1994, not with the blessing of the PNC, but with that of Dr Jagan and the PPP, through a deal to keep the PNC at bay from control of Georgetown. Green, at the time, was expelled from the PNC. He then formed the Good and Green Guyana (GGG) party which ironically was initially established as an environmental group. Green, himself, admitted he had been holding secret talks with Dr Jagan and his son, Joey (Joey being the witness).
So, it is no wonder that the General Secretary of the PPP, who apparently attended the same school as Green, only last week dogmatically proclaimed that local government elections are not important right now. Basically, what Clement Rohee is saying is that he (and the PPP) is satisfied with the status quo of stench and the mayorship of Green. And, typical of Stalinist modus operandi, violating the constitution and the rights of constituents to participate in democratic elections is quite okay. Noted also is the PPP’s penchant, then and now, for courting and bedding with opportunistic politicians expelled from the PNC.
Besides, for me, I have no desire to speak to Mr Green or any of the uncaring diehards in the PPP. I, like so many others who have left the party, have said enough to muted minds. Mr Green (as well as the PPP) is the problem, not the solution. Like I said from the start, he practices the politics of the sixties, just as Mr Rohee prattles and practises antediluvian Stalinism. There are too many albatrosses around his neck. The ship is at a standstill, and until the spirits of these albatrosses, with such names as Field-Ridley, Teekah, Ramsammy, are appeased by repentance of the ancient mariner, we are sailing nowhere. Likewise the PPP is accountable for numerous questionable killings, widespread corruption, inculcation of a secondary drug economy, and the general moral decay of society.
I have said that the PNC now stands at a very historic moment, as we approach our fiftieth independence anniversary and general elections in 2016, to take advantage of several situations:
(1) The leadership of the PPP is too politically narcissistic and intellectually challenged to engage in any introspection that could lead to positive changes.
(2) They will not change, nor can they change mainly because they are intellectually bankrupt. The progressive and intellectual elements have all abandoned ship. They will never regain the Nagamootoos, Ramjattans, Ramkarrans and other giants (Misir, Persaud etc) who daily grow disenchanted hnd gave recourse to foreign shores. Left are only the opportunistic and corrupted.
(3) The Jagdeo influence is too strong, and Mr Ramotar will dance any dance taught him by his Soviet-trained mentor.
(4) Many of their once strong Richmond Hill (and US) supporters are in jail, going to jail, or in hiding from the Feds.
(5) A strong Indo-academic interest in New York is emerging with sincere altruistic intentions for Guyana, and would throw their weight onto the party that is seriously interested in cleaning up the stench. Hence their olive branch to Mr Granger.
Dr Tarron Khemraj, Mr Gerhard Ramsaroop and Mr Malcolm Harripaul have enumerated about a dozen reformative steps initiated by the late President Desmond Hoyte (Persaud). Basically, I think they are intimating some continuation of these steps. (In addition, I would like to see drastic prosecution of some big ones for corruption and drugs when the PNC wins.) These steps by Mr Hoyte did not, in 1992, result in significant inroads into the Indian electorate. But then, Mr Hoyte had Dr Jagan and the PPP as the opponent. Today we have Jagdeo and God knows into what the PPP has degenerated.
Yours faithfully,
Gokarran Sukhdeo