More important issues for “Cuffy 250” Committee to deal with

Dear Editor,
I am happy to read that the “Cuffy 250 Committee” deferred its forum on the ‘state’ of African Guyanese. This state (of affairs maybe) was couched in the theme of the now aborted forum, “Resisting the Emerging Apartheid State”.
What boggles the mind is that this “Cuffy 250 Committee” could have entertained some better and more relevant issues, past and present. So, let me suggest a few ‘bugbears’ that need elucidation, and by implication answer the question who at any time sought to create an ‘apartheid’ state.
I go back to October 2017 and remind “Cuffy 250” that former President David Granger unilaterally appointed James Patterson, a former High Court Judge, as the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and then had him instantly sworn at State House. Mind you, Patterson’s name was not included in the third and final list (a sum of 18 potential appointees) which was ‘legally’ submitted by Former Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.
At the time, Granger and cohorts knew that this was a breach of the Guyana Constitution, but ‘bullied’ on. In the end, what happened? Well, it was in June 2019 that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) overruled the courts in Guyana, explaining that “…the appointment of Justice (ret’d) James Patterson (by President David Granger) as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was unconstitutional on the basis that the process was flawed.”
As a pertinent footnote, I firmly believe that this attempt to impose, unconstitutionally too, James Patterson on the nation was the prelude for the attempted rigging of the March 2020 Guyana Elections. I add that the corollary to this started when the no-confidence motion, after being initially embraced by the then Coalition APNU/AFC, was outrageously flouted, rejected, and then foolishly challenged in the courts. What happened again?
It all goes back to December 2018, but ended in June 2019, when the CCJ stepped in and determined “…that majority (in Guyana’s Parliament), that the (APNU/AFC’s) half plus one rule was not applicable. It held that since the Assembly comprised an odd number of persons (ie 65), (and) when all the members of the Assembly are present and vote, all that is necessary is to determine whether the motion has garnered “a majority of all the elected members.” Such a majority in the court’s view was clearly at least 33 votes.” This statement emanated from the President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders, as he handed down the ruling in the consolidated appeals.
I mean, the footage is there.
APNU/AFC, through former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, did state initially that the “Government had fallen.” I recall to build-up to the PPP/C’s no-confidence motion. Nagamootoo was in a triumphant spirit, declaring that, “If this motion is tied, it doesn’t pass. First, the Constitution, our Law, says that in order for a motion of no-confidence to pass, it must have a majority of the elected members of the National Assembly.” He expressed in confident tones that “It (the count) must have a majority of all elected members of National Assembly. (And since) Our National Assembly has 65 members, it means that the motion of no-confidence, in order to pass, must have 33 members who are elected as members of the National Assembly. The Opposition doesn’t have that. It is the Government that has 33 members who are elected and sitting in the National Assembly.” You get the drift?
So, I firmly believe that the “Cuffy 250” people should apologise for making fools out of their now dwindling followers.
Let me go to one of the present ongoings in Guyana, and this will again upend this nonsensical idea that Guyana is an emerging apartheid state, meaning specifically that Afro-Guyanese are the target group.
In January of this year (2022), it was clearly spelt out that under the ruling PPP/C, “…no region (in Guyana) will be left behind.” It was expounded that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government will set out to achieve transformative development in every community. At that time, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, said that “tens of millions of dollars” in investment have already been earmarked for the mining town of Linden, Region 10. By this time, Go-Invest had already signed investment packages with a few big companies that were seeking to expand and develop that township.
Ramsaroop mentioned, “We recently signed an investment package with a large cement plant in Linden that is doing quite a bit of construction work in building houses in Linden.” He also informed the nation that the Government was about to sign another investment package with a medical supply company “to do oxygen bottling and other types of packaging.” This is exactly why, right now, Region 10 folks are paying keen attention to what the Government and Private Sector are doing in Linden.
Then how about the input by the Government in housing and land leases/titles for folks in Golden Grove, Melanie Damishana and Buxton.
I offer another debunking example, and it speaks volumes. Specifically, I refer here to the national mindset of the Administration. Mr. Editor, the record is there in the National Budget 2022, where Government earmarked a massive increase to allow 20 Indigenous communities to have titled lands. Senior Minister in the Office of the President, with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, M.P, is on record as saying, “Our Government will continue to support the rights of our Indigenous Peoples by accelerating the land-titling programme at a cost of $561.6 million, allocated in Budget 2022, to achieve a target of 20 Certificates of Title.”
Just to top it off, I bring to the table that “Since coming into office, the Amerindian Land Titling Unit in the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs was revived. Officers of this unit are tasked to conduct extensive investigations to ensure the lands and extensions do not form part of a mining concession, or do not interfere with the boundaries of another village.”
I bring this up because, in some sections of the country, the Opposition and their heralders are trying to provoke and engender animosity among the Amerindians, even though, when they were in Government, nothing was done by them for the people they are now pretending they have a concern for.
Finally, how about Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo stating that the PPP/C Government’s record on upliftment of Afro-Guyanese is most outstanding? He detailed that “…in just two years, Afro-Guyanese have benefited from more scholarships through the Guyana Online Learning Academy (GOAL) and more house lot allocations compared to what obtained in the five years under the previous APNU+AFC Government.”
So then, regarding this ‘Apartheid’ issue, the concerns that were raised by the Attorney General are very valid. He deems the theme “Resisting the emerging Apartheid State” as not only obnoxious, but quite illegal.
In this vein, banker and financial expert Dr Floyd Haynes was in order when he expressed consternation that his name was included on a list of speakers who were supposed to be addressing the said topic. So adamantly opposed was he that he wrote a scathing letter to chairman of the committee, Dr Norman Ng-A-Qui, stating that he was not asked ‘formally or informally’ to be part of the programme, and thus called for his name to be removed.
I love his justification too. He explained, “…I completely reject the phrase ‘resisting the emerging apartheid state’ to describe conditions in Guyana…” (explaining that in his view) “…this statement is a disservice to all Guyanese… (so) I wish to categorically disassociate myself from it.
“More importantly, I am a firm supporter of His Excellency, the President of Guyana, and I am absolutely convinced that it is not part of the President’s agenda to create any disparity based on race,” Haynes said.
Enough said.

Yours truly,
H Singh