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By Sheila Holder
20th September 2005
Dear Sir,
The Sunday September 18 edition of the Kaieteur News carried a viewpoint by Information Liaison Officer to the President, Robert Persaud that was dedicated to the ‘Third Force’, recently named ‘Alliance For Change’ (AFC) by winner of the ‘Name the Third Force Competition’, Corentyne resident, Jagdeo Kishon.
Attempts were made in the viewpoint to defame the AFC by suggesting it was a hoax when in fact it was the PPPC that are the experts at playing many a hoax on the Guyanese people. For instance, during the last elections campaign when they promised to create thousands of jobs for the desperate jobless that never materialised.
The AFC assures its supporters and the public at large that the AFC exists and has a vision that embodies the elements of servant leadership that recognises God as omniscient, consensus politics as a means to political stability, a meritorious reward system based on equal treatment and equal opportunity for all irrespective of race, colour, class or creed. We believe that when these basic principles are embraced, peace and harmony among our diverse peoples will follow and regency shall be given to the reform measures promulgated in our Constitution, which enshrines independence to the three arms of the state and other institutions so defined.
As the mouth piece for the PPP/C government that undemocratically monopolises and controls the only radio station in the country, the state media comprising the people- owned NCN television stations in Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice & Linden and the Guyana Chronicle newspaper, to the exclusion of the political opposition generally and other critics in the society specifically, Robert Persaud presumptuously inferred that what the PPPC Government does in monopolising the state media is alright but when it comes to sections of the private media exercising their right to give political coverage as they see fit, he declares it does not bode well for the journalistic profession.
He grumbled about the large number of letters in the print media calling for the establishment of a ‘Third Force’ that featured AFC principals; about the various attacks coming from the political and non-political sections of the society and the Diaspora critical of the poor performance of the Jagdeo government. The manner in which he did this suggested that somehow critics had a hand in the unholy state of affairs brought upon this nation by successive PPPC governments over the last thirteen years.
It was they who made no secret of their self-interested policies by habitually using their simple parliamentary majority tyrannically even when it became blatantly obvious that such practices were to the detriment of the body politic and to the nation as a whole.
One such example is their refusal to hold an enquiry into the devastating coastal floods which affected some one third of the population after eight long months. Persistent calls by the parliamentary opposition and civil society to ascertain the causes of the floods continue to be spurned. Compare this stance with the current situation in New Orleans where the Bush administration has already moved to establish several enquires into the devastation wroth by hurricane Katrina. Another example of their self-serving attitude is the refusal to release the population census after three years thereby denying the society access to essential public data while utilizing same for their own partisan purposes, what bigger hoax than that has been played on the Guyanese people by any other political group in the country? Witness their refusal to grant the indigenous people their wish to be described as ‘Indigenous’ rather than ‘Amerindian’ while daring to claim that the Government’s consultation process is working.
Robert Persaud and The PPPC government are in no position to cast aspersions on sections of the private media or the political opposition. Their practice of double standards must be brought to an end by the electorate in order that democratic values might prevail in Guyana. It is only when such values become entrenched in our country that the debilitating issues of joblessness and poverty; underdevelopment and crime would be overcome. We urge the Guyanese people to choose change at the next general elections because change is the ‘key’ - the symbol of the AFC designed by Marlon Williams, winner of the AFC logo competition.
Regards,
Sheila Holder, MP
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