Dear Editor,
I wish to use this opportunity to respond to a letter authored by Mr Vishnu Bisram which was published in Stabroek News on Tuesday, June 28, captioned , ‘I have never defended the PPP – only its right to govern.’
In the interest of fair and objective public polemics I am prepared to concede to Mr Bisram that I was wrong in saying that he was an “unapologetic defender of the PPP/C regime during its 23 years in office”. I herein modify my statement which should now read that Mr Bisram was, and still is, an unapologetic defender of the PPP/C’s right to rule.
Having set the record straight on Mr Bisram’s machinations, I now say to him that he is (a) either deliberately misleading the public, or (b) has genuinely made a mistake when he claimed that in my response to Mr Clairmont Lye I had said that “I do not engage in public polemics”. Contrary to Mr Bisram’s contention what I had written in my response to Mr Lye was, “Mr Lye should know that it is not my style to loosely engage in public polemics”. There is no contradiction in what I had written and what my actions have been over time. Mr Bisram is again being devious and is trying to ascribe to me something I did not say when he wrote, “As for the report to which Mr Ogunseye referred, it would help to clear up matters if he could present a copy of it.” Contrary to what he wrote what I had in fact said in my letter was “I was a member of the WPA Executive Committee. As such, there is no need for me to speak to Dr Thomas as he suggests, since I was present and privy to the report to the WPA’s Executive Committee by the delegation which met with Dr Luncheon at the time, he, Dr Luncheon, conveyed Dr Jagan’s position of the withdrawal of the offer to Dr Thomas”.
Mr Bisram in his attempt to justify his defence of the PPP/C’s right to rule said, “And I did so because there were individuals who threatened and/or actually used violence against the PPP government.” Here is Mr Bisram at his best demonstrating his true character which is one of deception and exploitation of the ethnic card. Since confession is good for the soul I must confess that I missed the several pieces allegedly originating from Clement Rohee over the years, which Mr Bisram claimed rebuked him for his numerous criticisms of the PPP. I have queried this matter with a few comrades and they too like me, seemed to have memory lapses on this matter.
Finally, I want to say that I find it to be unbelievable that Mr Bisram, after detailing a history of the PPP’s leadership dislike of him, trusted the same PPP elements to convey to him politically sensitive information relative to Dr Jagan’s conduct. For the record I never mentioned a written report. My advice to Mr Vishnu Bisram is to stop fishing in the PPP/C high seas.
Yours faithfully,
Tacuma Ogunseye
