Barbadian PM honoured for admiring Burnham?

Dear Editor,

The late dictator Forbes Burnham was pariah throughout the world, particularly among progressives throughout the Caribbean region. His name is still pariah among progressives. Yet the Barbadian Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said he was and is a great admirer of the dictator who was responsible for murdering political opponents. Is this the reason why Stuart was brought to Guyana? Was Stuart used to help rehabilitate Burnham?

The PNC has been making a desperate effort to rehabilitate their hero Burnham who was an ally of imperialism. Stuart was brought to Guyana to say positive things about Burnham so that the PNC and AFC can put him on a pedestal.

Here are some things of which Stuart was probably proud about Burnham: collaborating with Britain and the US to delay Guyana independence; rigged elections to give himself a magic majority; establishing a minority dictatorship for his supporters; discriminating against people who were not PNC supporters; confiscating property and products from non-supporters; banning flour and various spices and other foods denying people their cultural diet; bankrupting the Caribbean Development Bank; etc.

Because of his practices and murder of Rodney, the South African government withdrew an award that was to be given to Burnham for his support of the anti-apartheid movement.

How could Freundel Stuart express admiration for such a character?

The hero and Father of Independence movement was Dr Cheddi Jagan; several others also fought for independence, playing a greater role than Burnham. Yet Stuart could not find a positive word to say about the great liberator Jagan.

Was Stuart influenced by ethnic consideration? Any objective speaker on independence would lavish praises on the most important figures (several of them) of the independence movement.  Clearly Stuart was biased.

Stuart has not made any worthy contribution to Guyana or the Caribbean region. If anything he is responsible for the anti-Guyanese attitude in Barbados. He could not be worthy or deserving more than so many others of Guyana’s honours. The only reason why he was honoured by the ruling PNC is his inaccurate views on Burnham.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram