Dear Editor,
There is no doubt that after December 21, 2018, the coalition Government continues not only to expose its incompetence, resulting in untold misery and hardship for all Guyanese, especially the poor and underprivileged. As the cost of living continues to spiral uncontrollably, with the ranks of the unemployed continuing to expand the corruption, scandals and the good life for the Government Ministers and officials continue to assault and shock the nation. Unfortunately, this was not enough for the Government, they had to continue the blatant violation of our Constitution to the point of desecrating the sanctity of the National Assembly by honouring and paying tribute to a convicted terrorist.
It is no surprise that the PNC component of the coalition would honour a convicted terrorist since it is a party which had perpetuated domestic terrorism against its opponents during its 28 years of dictatorship rule. The House of Israel, led by Rabbi Washington created fear, mayhem and death during its reign of terror and had the full blessings of the PNC. I cannot erase the memory of Father Darke being stabbed to death openly in public. Moreover, the bomb blast which killed the founder and leader of the WPA, Dr Walter Rodney, is a stark reminder of the terror which stalked the land under the PNC. It was also no surprise when the PNC honoured the notorious criminal, Linden “Blackie” London, by draping his coffin with Guyana’s national Flag, the Golden Arrowhead. The honouring of a convicted terrorist within Parliament, the supreme law-making body of this country leaves no doubt that the coalition Government does not have an iota of respect for the people of this country. This boldness leaves no doubt that we are heading for an even worse period in the history of our country.
The silence of the WPA and the AFC bears testimony of the arrival of an even worse dictatorship than what we experienced under Forbes Burnham. I cannot fathom the depths to which these parties have fallen. The WPA’s founder was assassinated by an act of terrorism by the same PNC to which they are now paying homage to. Where is the independent voice of the WPA? Was Moses Nagamootoo not a victim of the PNC’s acts of terrorism? I could recall him reliving his experiences when he had to run and hide to save his life! But now the sirens have had an amnesic effect. Why is the Minister of Public Security silent on the honouring of this convicted terrorist? Was Abdul Kadir another ‘freedom fighter’ in the long line of PNC ‘freedom fighters’ such as Blackie and Fine Man? I will not be surprised if one day these are honoured in Parliament by the PNC! It leaves no doubt that there is only one party in the coalition – the People’s National Congress!
Lastly, as expected, the coalition Government is now professing itself as the only competent authority to interpret anything, be it the Constitution or be it what it says in plain simple English. The US Government is now accused of “misinterpreting” the motion passed in Parliament to not “honour” but to “recognise Kadir’s services as a parliamentarian and not as a convicted terrorist”. This would seem to suggest that Kadir as a PNC Parliamentarian is different from Kadir, the convicted terrorist. When a man is convicted of terrorism his ‘service’ as a parliamentarian takes the back seat! He cannot be honoured. Playing with words will not erase the damage done. It is a direct affront to the memories of those thousands of people who have died at the hands of terrorists. How many more would have died had the plot to blow up JFK Airport been successful? Why was the PNC silent when he was convicted? They should have defended him then. But it would not have served their purpose at that time! They needed the USA support when in opposition.
Simply put, the PNC cannot change its stripes. Old habits die hard!
Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf
