Dear Editor,
The late dictator Forbes Burnham brutally oppressed his nation triggering a massive human (brain) flight (some seeking refugee status in North America and around the Caribbean region) during his 20-year tenure (December 1964 to August 1985), in which one in every two Guyanese lived abroad – the largest percentage of people from any society – some 50 per cent unheard of in terms of human migration.
Burnham, who was installed into office by the American CIA to keep out Cheddi Jagan and Indians, became a pariah throughout the world, for his apartheid-like policy.
Yet, the Guyana Government seems to be on course to rehabilitate this creature that people long buried some 31 years ago. The PNC-led Government has been making a desperate effort to rehabilitate their hero Burnham by calling him a uniter.
That is a farce.
When one thought or thinks of Burnham’s rule, known as Burnhamism, the worst kind of authoritarianism (fascism) comes to mind. Burnham committed some of the worst forms of atrocities known to mankind – silenced the free media, victimised critics, rigged elections, criminalised the consumption of certain foods like roti and alou, banned imports of basic needs, denied people jobs on account of their race or political affiliation, confiscated businesses of non-supporters, controlled imports and exports driving shopkeepers out of business, established price controls to bankrupt businesses, engaged in agro collectivisation to drive non-supporters out of farming, drove fear in people, effected a kick-down-door policy against non-supporters; refused to take actions against rape especially at national service and the armed forces, and the bureaucracy, etc, among other horrific acts.
Burnham was an ally of imperialism; he conspired with the CIA to topple Jagan from office. When Burnham became an international embarrassment through his racist policies, the US dropped him like hot potato.
Last June, the PNC Government brought Barbadian Prime Minister Freundel Stuart to Guyana to say positive things about Burnham so that the PNC can have justification to put Burnham on a pedestal. Stuart said he was a great admirer of the late dictator Burnham.
Another effort to rehabilitate Burnham occurred last week when President Granger showered glowing praises on Burnham, describing him as author of “social cohesion and national unity”. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Had people not been afraid of being victimised, they would have jeered at such a statement. What happened in Guyana under Burnham’s rule could never be described as social cohesion. Ethnic feelings against Burnham ran that deep.
Burnham was responsible for ethnic distrust and antagonisms among the races. He preyed on racial conflict to buttress his dictatorship. He largely hired people from his own race. Indians could not get jobs.
He cracked down on Amerindians, killing many in the Rupununi uprising. He pursued policy to encourage migration of Indians, Chinese and Portuguese with the goal of increasing the percentage of his supporters in the population.
He called on his supporters to defend his Government against supporters of other parties and he encouraged violence; he was largely and singularly responsible for racial violence unleashed on Indians and other non-supporters. He made no effort to govern with representatives of Indians or Amerindians.
For Burnham, it was all for and about him and his people and nothing for others.
Election riggings to stay in office hardened feelings of disunity among non-supporters especially that Burnham’s supporters endorsed the rigging that kept Indians, Amerindians, Portuguese, Mixed and Chinese out of power. There was not only capital and intellectual flight, but racial immigrant flight (of Portuguese, Chinese, Indians, and Mixed). And one does not forget that there was political refugee flight (a status some Indians received in Canada) as well. Indians, Portuguese, Chinese and wealthy Mixed felt they no longer belonged as they were spat upon and they simply packed up and left, finding a way to take resources with them.
Burnham was influenced and motivated by racist considerations and did everything to hurt non-supporting ethnic groups. He victimised and harassed members of other groups. This is not to deny that he did not use the talent of members of other groups to suit his purposes.
In sum, Burnham was a divider, not a healer or someone who was interested in social cohesion. He was a dictator who used race to govern.
Walter Rodney and Cheddi Jagan were the true advocates of social cohesion and as such can be justifiably described as “uniters”, not Burnham.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
