Dear Editor,
In a recent letter, I noted the Government`s propaganda alert in response to the proceedings of the 1st meeting of the 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on the People of African Descent. That alert took the form of a live broadcast by two Ministers of Government (Walrond and Hamilton) on NCN, from Geneva, in response to Nigel Hughes` presentation to the forum. There is much that can be said about their attempt to continue the Government`s attack on IDPADA-G, but the Minister`s blatant lie about IDPADA-G`s finances stole the cookie and exposed the Government`s desperation to bring IDPADA-G to its knees. The Minister, in Jagdeo fashion, claimed that an audit was conducted on IDPADA-G`s financial records, and that the audit found that IDPADA-G ‘could not account for millions of dollars’, which resulted in the Government suspending IDPADA-G`s subvention. The Government has reached its lowest in crassness and down-right dishonesty.
Indeed, an audit was conducted. There was no finding of funds ‘not accounted for’. She knows this, the Government ordered the audit; received the report; and could take no action against IDPADA-G, since no wrong doing/malfeasance was committed or found to be committed. Yet, this official who swore on the Holy Bible to an oath of office that required her to “bear true faith and allegiance to the People of Guyana” blatantly lied, on a collective of citizens, in the execution of her duty. A copy of the conclusion of the Audit Report is attached hereto as refutable evidence of the Attorney-at-Law and Minister not bearing true faith. Had she called names, this matter would have ended up in court.
The Minister is said to have paternal roots in the Corentyne and has apparently been bequeathed with the art of telling NANCY stories. Here are a few of the Nancy stories she told on NCN, on April 17, 2024.
1. She claimed that there were those at IDPADA-G who had paid themselves super salaries. Why doesn’t she call names? No member of IDPADA-G`s leadership except for the CEO was salaried. The accusation is tantamount to disrespect for the professional staff that IDPADA-G employed and vilification and attempted defamation of the volunteers who constitute IDPADA-G`s leadership and continue to keep the flag of IDPADA-G at full mast, in the face of adversity.
2. She claimed that IDPADA-G has “hijacked” the Decade. This is contemptuous of the 78 organizations that make up the Assembly; elected their leadership, in keeping with the rules of the organization; and merely see themselves as the Coordinating Mechanism of the community as it pursues the goals of the decade. In fact, in its articles, IDPADA-G is also cited as the “Country Coordinating Mechanism”.
3. IDPADA-G recognizes the role of the State in the pursuit of the goals of the decade; has called upon the current Government to engage IDPADA-G, in that regard. The Government has, even in the event of four promises by the President to engage, never engaged nor has never taken up its fiduciary responsibility to the people of African descent, as is required of it by virtue of being a signatory to the Resolution that gives life to the decade.
4. Like the President and others in Government, she conflates the decade with reparations for enslavement, and refuses to accept that the State has a responsibility to redress the non-recognition, injustices and underdevelopment that are the fate of the people of African descent post emancipation. That is what they signed on to when they signed on to the Resolution. That is what the Durban Declaration of 2001 specified. Instead, they contend that the Guyanese of African descent have been equal to all others, post emancipation, thus there is no need for equitable treatment. Was the flooding of our villages
equality? Was the denial of commercial licenses equality? There are so many other institutional and legal inhibitions that affected the people of African descent, some of which still have residual negative, material and psychological impacts on the people of African descent.
5. Having reneged on their obligation to carry-out the mandate of the decade; and having incurred the wrath of the people of African descent, and their organization for this dereliction of duty, they brand all who dare to confront their reticence, as opposition activists. By their definition, the only political spaces available in Guyana are pro or anti-government spaces, and the freedom of association, beyond the parties, is untenable, with the association with the opposition being unacceptable/taboo.
For the Guyanese of African descent, the battle continues for the assertion of unequivocal recognition, justice and development. The Walrond’s and the Hamilton’s have to be brought to their senses. The community has to prevail.
Sincerely,
Vincent Alexander
Chair
IDPADA-G
