Dear Editor,
I think it was unethical for Dr Veerasammy Ramayya to address his petty problem in the press. From what I know, the party has a code of conduct to address problems facing members or any activists if they are dissatisfied with the decisions which are being made. He should have sought to address his grouse with the General Secretary of the AFC, Mr David Patterson, party leader Mr Khemraj Ramjattan or the chairman Mr Nigel Hughes. Those are the routes party members should use in addressing problems.
No one can doubt that Mr Ramayya has worked hard for the AFC and the coalition victory on May 11; many others within the party can claim the same. What about our Amerindian brothers and sisters who walked the hills and trails in the interior, the polling agents who sat at the place of poll from 6 am to 7 pm and the scrutineers who walked from house to house to clean the voters lists. I happened to see Mr Samad Bacchus, the biggest and most popular businessman here in Region Two, walking from house to house some 20 miles away from his home, begging people to go out and vote for the coalition.
Sam has sacrificed his business and time for months running up to the general and regional elections, campaigning on the ground and on the political platform for the coalition, I am sure he wasn’t looking forward to have a ministerial position in the government; he did it because he wanted to see Guyana free from corruption and so the young people and the future generation could have a better future. Berbicians were blessed to have Moses Nagamootoo as the Prime Minister and Khemraj Ramjattan as Minister of Public Security, two key positions in the government, with others as MPs and board members.
Region Two, which is the largest of the 10 regions, got one MP, and we are well content and satisified. I know of others who worked day and night and risked their lives to put the coalition into government who did not get a position too. Our people in Region Two can put up the same argument as Dr Ramayya, but we understand that not everyone can become a minister of the government, although indeed Essequibians are healthy, intelligent and literate people, who are possessed of a wide range of skills and capable of learning new ones if given the opportunity.
The hostile media, private television, and the opposition party will use Dr Ramayya’s resignation from the AFC party to gain mileage, recklessly portraying that the coalition is biased and racial, and many persons will believe the media and television lies.
Dr Ramayya also used a dangerous term when he told the media that he was not in favour with AFC joining hands with APNU in forming a coalition. With the winner takes all system, the only way to remove the PPP was to enter into a coalition. While the coalition talks were ongoing many people had called me from within the country and overseas to find out if the AFC was making the right decision. I told them that it was the best approach, although many were fearful that APNU would dominate the AFC since it was the smaller party in the coalition and after a time would remove the AFC just as Burnham had removed Peter D’Aguiar’s UF and taken control of the government. I had to share my little knowledge with them that AFC has some of the best legal minds in the leadership and they will not enter into a weak agreement. I convinced them and they all agreed that coalition was the way to go.
It is clear now that our party the AFC, must work more militantly and not just accept that it is business as usual. I am convinced that beneath the veneer of calm the enemies of democracy are planning and working overtime. APNU+AFC cannot be complacent or the freedom trail that was blazed by everyone could be turned into a wasteland, and the democracy which was won on May 11 could be lost.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan