…from Buxton via Georgia
Eusi Kwayana’s a very interesting fellow, to say the least. Now almost 96 years old, he knows of what he speaks when he declared in his most recent letter: “I see myself as one of the contributors to whatever has developed in present day Guyana, whether good or bad”.
He was why SOCU decided to withdraw the charges they’d laid against Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington for NICIL selling some lands on the East Coast. Since none of us, dear readers, was around when Kwayana plunged into politics back in the 1940s, it might be useful to give a short recap of his claim to fame.
Skipping past him being a founder of the PPP, he rose to notoriety for the role he played after the famous split between Jagan and Burnham – to stir up racial sentiments. Initially a supporter of Jagan, he decided that the PPP in general, and Jagan in particular, were anti-African. He started the now venerable (if cynical) tradition of the PNC to look at every action of the PPP through racial lenses.
Pretty soon – by the 1961 elections – the once united nation had been torn asunder into “Indian and African” camps, where it still remains. If you’re wondering what happened to “social cohesion” in the wake of the PNC’s last rigging attempt, just ask Eusi Kwayana! He midwifed racial politics in our country.
And we return to his latest question about Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington. We say “latest” because, after remaining stubbornly mute over the course of the six months while the PNC tried to hold on to power through Mingo’s manipulations on a stained bedsheet, he suddenly found his pen!
When questioned about that silence, he claimed he didn’t have “evidence” of Mingo’s perfidy!! He wanted a “smoking gun” since clearly the discrepancy between Mingo’s numbers and those from the other party’s SOPs didn’t satisfy him! Your Eyewitness now wonders whether he has “hard” evidence of wrongdoing by Singh and Brassington – since SOCU chose to withdraw the charges.
It’s more than passing strange that Kwayana didn’t question why SOCU hadn’t proceeded with their charges FIVE YEARS AFTER LAYING THEM!! SOCU, of course, was run by Kwayana’s colleague Clive Thomas, and supported by ASCRIA’s Tacuma Ogunseye and Eric Phillips. Also, he hasn’t chosen to question the PNC’s land sales – for far lower prices than the lands sold by Singh and Brassington.
But let’s face it…Kwayana is merely remaining true to form – as a person who has race on his brain. He accepts that SOCU has the discretionary right to make the decision it did – but yet questions them.
Doesn’t he want to know why Granger hasn’t released his SOPs?
…and twisted minds
Following diligently in the footsteps of Kwayana, to stir up racial animosity in our country, is the “leader for life” of the TUC. In his latest missive, referring to the suspended operations by BCCI, he claims, “Their (The PPP’s) disparity in treatment of sugar versus bauxite workers is very stark and tantamount to economic injustice against a category of workers which has the hallmark of ethnic, political and social retaliation.”
All Guyana knows what he’s implying, since “sugar workers” mean “Indian Guyanese” and “Bauxite workers” mean “African Guyanese”. He ignores that, as soon as the PPP took office, they met with BCCI, and Labour Minister Hamilton warned: “If RUSAL says they are not here, the conversation changes. But if they are an investor that is operating in Guyana, then the game plan will have to be different from what it was over the past several years…No company or expatriate will come and establish modern day plantations in Guyana!”
Did he warn the PNC of “disparity of treatment” when they closed 4 estates?
…on Barbados’s magnanimity
A hat tip to Mia Mottley and Barbados for sharing their COVID-19 vaccine with us. Modest as it is, at least we can begin to protect our brave, exposed, frontline health workers.
