Dear Editor,
Please allow me space in your newspaper to share my thoughts on a very important issue, that is, the poor quality of the public discourse and political debate in the letter section of the major dailies in Guyana.
Editor, regularly, l look forward to reading the letters as well as following the views of both the critics and supporters of the government on social media. I look forward to well-researched, thought-provoking letters on topical issues as well as the political situation in Guyana.
With the above in mind, it is very disappointing to read the views advocated by some. One such reckless and brazen individual is Rickford Burke. He has a penchant for attacking those whom he feels are articulating views which are contrary to his. One such person that he took to task was Ravi Dev. Dev wrote an article, ” Burnham Created a Totalitarian, Racialised state. This cannot be the aspiration of the PNC/R leader to be elected.” (Stabroek news: 2024- 06- 26,). In his article, Dev highlights what he perceives to be the numerous pitfalls of the Burnham regime, and policies the latter implemented that caused great resentment among the majority of the population, resulting in Guyanese leaving in droves to foreign lands.
Dev expressed his views and l was looking forward to an intellectual rebuttal of his points but, instead, Burke castigated Dev, labeling him as being part of a group of, ” older East Indian men in particularly (sic), [that] have Forbes Burnham obsession syndrome. ” Burke also paints Dev as a P.P.P. member and ominously declares,” P.P.P. racism will lead to another 1963 types civil conflict.” Burke is not interested in offering an intellectual rebuttal of Dev’s points but he is merely attacking Dev for the letter’s view of Burnham. This is disappointing.
One expects more from Burke. If Dev feels that Burnham did irreparable damage to the social, political, and ethnic fabric of the Guyanese society, then that is his right to express his views on same. The P. N. C candidates are always extolling the virtues of Burnham so Dev is reminding everyone of what Burnham did so he (Dev), thinks the candidates need their policies and not taking us back to such a troubling time in our past. Burke must not arrogate upon himself the right to determine who speaks on what topic.
Burke is silent on the decision of Roysdale Forde and Amanza-Walton to not contest for the leadership of the P.N.C. He also did not comment on nor condemn the disturbing statements made by W. P. A leader in Buxton.
Burke also seems to have an obsession with the vice president. Almost daily, Burke posts a picture of the latter, accusing him of murdering 1400 African Guyanese. This is a serious charge and the number is significant. Concerning these killings, Stabroek News did a thorough investigation and the results do not support Burke’s claims. From this investigation, we learned that 420 were killed and they were not all African Guyanese. Of this above number, 119 were Indo Guyanese and some were Amerindians, plus mixed-race ancestry. In addition, many of the deaths resulted from armed confrontations with the police and gangs, while some died trying to topple the government, and more. Suffice to say, that Burke’s figure is not supported by facts.
Burke is a prominent figure in the political landscape of Guyana; therefore, he needs to be more responsible. So many look up to him.
Sincerely,
Mahindra Persaud
