-Jagdeo says situation was `badly handled’
The Alliance for Change (AFC) and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) yesterday called for the resignation of Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. following his controversial exchange with Head of the Burrowes School of Art, Ivor Thom.
That exchange led to Thom resigning from his post before recanting after the intervention of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Ramson has remained silent on the matter and all attempts by Stabroek News to obtain a comment from him have been unsuccessful.
At a press conference held yesterday, AFC leader Nigel Hughes expressed his outrage, stating, “Those remarks by Minister Ramson have not been denied, rejected, qualified, and certainly have not been condemned by the Minister nor the Government. This indicates that the Minister is of the view that either Mr. Thom as an African Guyanese or in his role does not reflect the image that his government wants.” He added that this lack of response from the Minister is “highly offensive” at a time when racial and ethnic relations in Guyana are particularly fragile.
Hughes emphasized the implications of Ramson’s comments, urging him to step down: “We believe that the Minister, if he possesses some level of dignity and decency, will offer his resignation immediately… The statement reflects the position of the government and the Minister, or that they have no difficulty with that statement.”
The PNCR echoed this sentiment yesterday during their weekly press conference, with Shadow Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport, Nima Flue-Bess, condemning Ramson’s actions as a demonstration of “arrogance, racial bias, and incompetence.”
Flue-Bess also noted Ramson’s controversial past statements, including his remark two years ago about a “lack of black role models,” suggesting a pattern of disrespect in his dealings with the community.
In contrast, at his press conference on Thursday, Vice President Jagdeo defended Ramson, calling the situation “badly handled” but not indicative of racism. “I think it was unnecessary. This gentleman (Thom) served the country well, and when I learned of Mr. Thom’s resignation, I thought it warranted my intervention,” Jagdeo stated, emphasizing his support for Thom. “We will not tolerate racism… Only if people utilize the ERC (Ethnic Relations Commission) and police would there be the kind of environment where people would stop this nonsense,” he added, encouraging the use of the police and the Ethnic ERC to address such issues.
Thom related that on September 7, he was verbally abused with racial slurs by a member of the public, which, he said, contributed to his decision to step down from his post.
Red SUV
According to Thom, the confrontation occurred as he was preparing to leave the art school after completing work on a sculpture of former PPP/C cabinet secretary, the late Dr Roger Luncheon. As he readied his car to depart, there was a red SUV parked in a manner that made it difficult for him to exit without risking a collision. He then approached the driver of the SUV and informed him that the parking lot was reserved for students and staff of the school to which the SUV driver became enraged and hurled racial slurs at him. A passenger in the SUV then apparently made a call to Ramson.
Shortly afterwards, Thom said he received a call from the Director of Culture, who informed him that the minister wished to speak with him. On his way to the ministry he received another call from the Permanent Secretary, urging him to come in. He told the Permanent Secretary that he was already at the building.
He was then directed to a boardroom where he was left waiting for 45 minutes. When the meeting finally began, Thom said he recounted the parking lot incident, to which, he claimed, the minister responded with hostility. According to Thom, Ramson told him he had no right to blow his horn at anyone or to dictate parking arrangements.
Thom said that this was not the first time he had endured such treatment from the minister, recalling two previous occasions where Ramson had shouted at him. After reflecting on the situation, he concluded that he could no longer tolerate the disrespect and mistreatment, and tendered his resignation.
