Dear Editor,
Please permit someone who grew up and will never forget the “dark days’’ of Guyana’s history; to share what came into my mind after reading the recent outburst from the person who gave himself the moniker “Elder.” Maybe it is old age, maybe it is just being his own self, but what he seems to be doing is just exposing to the world what those of us who grew up under the regime of his Comrade Leader, knew all along. Elder used the words—’’devils, bastards, demons.’’ These days, politicians referring to the past have altered it to suit their agendas. Had the present generation known our history, then every Guyanese should have been vociferously denouncing these latest utterances by the Elder.
A former henchman of the Supreme Leader has come to realise that this generation is clueless else he won’t have said what he did, would he? This generation is ignorant about what happened that faithful evening of October 6th 1992 and the role of the very person calling others ‘’devils and demons”. In what happened in the streets of GT after his party refused to accept Mrs. Jagan as President. Will they then know about his role in making sure that a day of shame be marked by celebrations? He tried to excuse deciding the date of the Wismar massacre being chosen to celebrate Independence but those who knows of the various acts against the silent majority knows differently… the recent outburst underlines my point.
In closing, I must say that even in his dotage, Elder is continuing the agenda of his late founder leader and their party. What Odo did not succeed to do, his comrades of the party he once co-founded (PPP) is fulfilling by leaps and bounds. What greater example of this do we see when a once henchman of the Cde. Leader can come forth and refer to others (PPP) as devils and demons and not a ripple of indignation from them (PPP) who is supposed to represent the silent suffering majority?
Cde. Leader must be rolling over in mirth as he witnesses the great pomp and participation of people of Indian descent celebrating Mash. Prior to October 1992, the silent majority boycotted Mash. It was taboo to be Mashing. How things have changed now. It is the same Mash/on the same date. Do the present day lot even know that Mash was started as a celebration to coincide with the birthday of said Cde. Leader (20th February)? That Mash was a celebration that started in Linden that the Cde. Leader purloined because he wanted a grand celebration? (Do Guyanese even know that the Cde. Leader changed Mackenzie to Linden—his own name?)
That in the beginning, people who worked for the Government, had to march through the streets of GT all the way to National Park, where the Cde. Leader took the salute? Do they remember Mass Games? I remember even the Hindu priests whose Organisation was part of the Cabal, marching past our store on Regent St., dressed in their white dhotis and pagris. Again, I ask the present day lot as they wine and dance in celebration today, do you know your history? Listen to the utterances of a man who was part and parcel of much of our sufferings and be aware that those days may come to past if he gets a chance. He is not afraid to use such words publicly.
This alone is dangerous in the scheme of things as regards to our past even as recent as the mayhem at Mon Repos market. Time and time again, one set of people can call on violence/demonise the silent majority and the silence is deafening. Had it been the reverse, the clamour would reach the ears of their ‘mattie’ all the way to N.Y and Washington.
Sincerely,
N. Sahadeo
