Dear Editor,
In the face of overwhelming evidence that Mr John Adams was indeed slapped, the PPP propagandists have done what they do best. Malign the victim. The victim is made out to be a monster, a villain. The truth of the matter is, the PPP cannot deal with independent thinkers.
They cannot deal with persons who are wont to question the status quo, they cannot deal with a probing, intelligent mind.
This episode has played out so many times from 1992 to present. I myself was the subject of some gross accusations which were all shot down when the bogus investigations were launched.
I was accused of theft, bribery, disorderly behaviour, arrogance and even rape, yes rape. That is how the PPP would stoop to discredit anyone who dares to challenge their now discredited tenure.
Therefore Mr Adams is now in very distinguished company that also includes Freddie Kissoon, Clarence Chue and his colleagues, and a whole host of other bright, professional people.
The malevolent work was once again exposed when the Aishalton Village Council’s (AVC) letter disputed very clearly what Mr Rolan Singh said about the incident. It is now left to see what will be the outcome.
Whatever Mr Adams’s demeanour is after work cannot take away from the fact that he is a very good maths teacher guiding his students to unprecedented levels at the last CXC in maths. He is one of a disappearing breed – good maths teachers.
This points to the fact that the PPP, which is working, through the AVC, is willing to sacrifice the future of a whole host of young Amerindians in the name of political expediency. In this regard, I am challenging the council to conduct a poll which must include all the villages of the South and see if they are in agreement to dispense with Mr Adams’s services.
Editor, this incident has also exposed our hypocrisy in treating with such matters. The readers must have been in mind that I have worked in the South Rupununi and have visited almost every village in the Rupununi, so I am sort of an expert in these matters. I used to be a District Development Officer and Assistant REO. I am now a Regional Councillor, so I am au fait with the contemporary history of the Rupununi.
Aishalton once had a medex who was very bright, talented, and well versed in his work, but he was a hopeless alcoholic. Was any move made to have him dismissed? No! Very recently, there was the case of a Toshao who had to be fetched to a village meeting that was attended by the Regional Vice Chairman, and who was drunk. Some residents of the village concerned refused to conduct the meeting with him in that state, so the meeting was adjourned. Was his head called for? No!
The truth of the matter is, imbibing – mostly local drinks – is a culture all across the Rupununi. Very frequently public officers get caught up in the activity and get drunk. I am not innocent of this practice myself. Many REOs and Regional Chairmen are also not innocent of this fact. It is just the culture of the land. What we need to expend our energies on is ways in which we can change that culture.
As it relates to the teacher being accused of sexual misconduct the PPP can open a whole tub of worms. They will castigate those who do not support them, while covering up for their supporters. If we are to prosecute Mr Adams in this regard then the police need to reopen a whole lot of cases of actual rape committed by known PPP-sponsored officers.
Maybe the police may want to re-open their investigation into the deaths of the three schoolboys found buried in a sandpit not far from the Aishalton Secondary School a few years ago. Talking of murder, maybe the police too may want to reopen the case of a young man who reportedly shot himself when the evidence at the scene did not support such. I can list so many more, but time and space does not allow me to.
What I find strange, however, is the fact that those who claim to be defenders of the rights of Amerindians are very quiet. Peter Persaud for one can lend his two bits to this discourse but I would rather suspect that he won’t since he would be caught between a rock and a hard place, defending Mr Adams on one hand and accusing Mr Rohan Singh of not speaking the truth on the other.
In conclusion, since so much is now in the public domain I would urge the TSC to launch an investigation into the whole episode with a view to determine the guilt or innocence of Mr Adams in all that we have heard so far. In this way we will know whether Mr Adams is a villain or a victim.
Yours faithfully,
Carl Parker Sr
Regional Councillor
Region 9
