State-sponsored racism: The case of Edghill

Dear Editor,
On the face of it, the attack on Bishop Juan Edghill in the National Assembly on December 11, 2017; his subsequent suspension from sittings until December 15; and his arrest on December 12, 2017, would appear as just an abuse of power by the regime and its agents. However, make no mistake, it is one of the most vile forms of racism by this A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) regime.
This is not the first time that this particular member of the National Assembly was subjected to such harassment by the Speaker and the People’s National Congress (PNC)/APNU/AFC members. Recall earlier that he was dragged before the Committee of Privileges for also trying to discharge his functions as an elected member of the National Assembly.
Juan Edghill broke no laws of the National Assembly and his request for additional time was reasonable. Such requests were normally granted in the interest of probity and accountability. All he did was to try to get the regime to explain the huge increases in spending during consideration of the estimates. He was also trying to get the Assembly to give the opposition the 30 minutes more that was agreed to with the Chief Whip of the Government to examine the four more heads that were surprisingly added to the Ministry of the Presidency.
The actions by the Speaker were in bad faith and did not follow accepted Parliamentary procedures.  His hostility towards People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) members of the Assembly and Juan Edghill in particular, is very transparent. Bishop Edghill is not the only PPP/C MP that is thorough and forceful; however, he has suffered the most at the hands of the Speaker and the regime.
The only explanation for the continued attack is that he is an Afro-Guyanese member of the PPP/Civic team.
Like the other PPP/C MPs, he has been exposing the regime’s corruption, abuse of power and their racism. He is very effective in his work.
The regime cannot just dismiss him and play the racial card as they do against other Members of Parliament and political leaders. Therefore, they are trying to denigrate him. They want to charge him, using any excuse in order to destroy him. His only ‘crime’ is that he is a Black member of the PPP/C team who is resisting the move towards dictatorship.
The regime wants to make Edghill an example, as a warning to any Afro-Guyanese who is even contemplating opening his/her mouth to speak out against their corruption, abuse and injustice.  It is a threat to Afro-Guyanese in general.
The attack on Edghill is similar to the attack on Afro-Guyanese rice farmers from Seafield, West Coast Berbice, and others in the same area. The Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George, has just ruled that the repossession of their lands by President Granger leased to them by the PPP/C Administration was unconstitutional and therefore illegal.
Why were their lands taken?  It was because the mentality of this regime is that the lands were given by the PPP/C Government. Therefore, these Afro-Guyanese farmers must be PPP/C members or supporters. They, therefore, had to be punished. One is hard pressed to arrive at a different conclusion.
This is reverse racism and a threat to black people on the West Coast Berbice area of what will happen if they don’t support the PNC/APNU and tow their line.
This type of racism only serve the APNU/AFC coalition. It is the weapon they have in their hands to keep the people divided and allow them to continue their plunder of the Treasury and abuse of Government’s power.

It is that outlook which has allowed the Education Minister to behave so derogatory towards the Indo-Guyanese population. She has no concern for any consequences and has not been disciplined for her grossly offensive remarks. In a normal multi-ethnic society she would have been fired.
Not so long ago, we saw one of the leading press persons of the President making terrible statements against Indo-Guyanese people. No reprimand or any other disciplinary action was taken. This suggests that this is the way the regime’s top officials speak among themselves about Indian Guyanese. This is how they socialise. They encourage such behaviour. They want to inculcate that attitude in the Afro-Guyanese population in general.
Therefore, whenever an Afro-Guyanese speaks out against the wrongdoings, they are viciously attacked and are targeted as ‘traitors’. This regime believes that Afro-Guyanese have no right to oppose them. This was the experience of ENG Wilson, Eric Gilbert, Ashton Chase, Brindley and Patricia Benn, Cyril Belgrave and many other PPP/C members.  Of course, they went to extreme lengths and murdered people as was the case of Walter Rodney.
Rodney was a non-PPP Afro-Guyanese, who shared much of the views of the PPP.
He did not join the PPP on his return home because he knew the racist line of being labelled a “coolie stooge” which would have been used against him by the PNC now APNU. In fact, David Granger, now President, was placed on the UG Board of Governors that denied Rodney the job at UG.
He was assassinated for opposing the PNC dictatorial regime.
His murder at the hands of the PNC regime was racist. So too is the present persecution of Edghill.

Yours truly,
Donald Ramotar
Former President