Dear Editor,
On the face of it the attack on Bishop Edghill in the National Assembly on December 11th, his subsequent suspension from sittings until December15th and his arrest on December 12th would appear as just an abuse of power by the regime and its agents. This is not the first time that this particular member of the National Assembly has been subjected to such harassment by the Speaker and the APNU+AFC members. Recall earlier that he was dragged before the Committee of Privileges for also trying to discharge his functions as an elected member of the National Assembly.
Juan Edghill broke no laws of the National Assembly and his request for additional time was reasonable. Such requests were normally granted in the interest of probity and accountability. All he did was to try to get the regime to explain the huge increases in spending during consideration of the estimates. He was also trying to get the Assembly to give the opposition the thirty minutes more that was agreed to with the Chief Whip of the government to examine the four more heads that were surprisingly added to the Ministry of the Presidency.
The actions by the Speaker did not follow accepted parliamentary procedures. The hostility to PPP/C members of the Assembly and Mr Juan Edghill in particular, is very transparent. Bishop Edghill is not the only PPP/C MP who is thorough and forceful; however, he has suffered the most at the hands of the Speaker and the regime. The only explanation for the continued attack can be that he is an Afro-Guyanese member of the PPP/Civic team.
Like the other PPP/C MPs, he has been exposing the regime’s corruption and abuse of power. He is very effective in his work. The regime cannot just dismiss him and play the card they do against Indo-Guyanese members of parliament and political leaders. Therefore, they are trying to denigrate him. They want to charge him, using any excuse. His only ‘crime’ is that he is a member of the PPP/C team who is resisting the move towards dictatorship.
The attack on Edghill is similar to the attack on rice farmers from Seafield, West Coast Berbice, and others in the same area. The Chief Justice (ag), Justice Roxanne George Wiltshire, has just ruled that the repossession of their lands by President Granger leased to them by the PPP/C administration was unconstitutional and therefore illegal. Why were their lands taken? It was because the mentality of this regime is that the lands were given by the PPP/C government. Therefore, these farmers must be PPP/C members or supporters. They, therefore, had to be punished. One is hard pressed to arrive at a different conclusion.
It is the same outlook which has allowed the Minister of Education to behave in such a derogatory fashion towards Indo-Guyanese population. She has no concern for any consequences and has not been disciplined for her grossly offensive remarks. In a normal multi-ethnic society she would have been fired.
Not so long ago, we saw one of the leading press persons of the President making terrible statements against Indo-Guyanese people. No reprimand or any other disciplinary action was taken. This suggests that this is the way some of the regime’s top officials speak among themselves about Indian Guyanese. This is how they socialize. They encourage such behaviour.
Therefore, whenever an Afro-Guyanese speaks out against the wrongdoings they are attacked.
Yours faithfully,
Donald Ramotar
Former President
