Dear Editor,

Mr Kwayana in an earlier letter emphatically objected to the appointment of Pandit Shri Prakash Gossai but did not say why he so objected and he did not offer any suggestions as to who may be a suitable person for the post. Now he is rejoicing because he has come across a court battle between two Hindu groups in Florida over a plot of land and Shri Prakash is ‘in the centre’ of it.Where is the crime?

Why is the so ambitious Eusi Kwayana so bent on discrediting a man who is more than qualified for the job he has been offered. Shri Prakash is a scholar of Sanskrit and Hindi and he has been teaching at a high school in New York. He has been to several countries lecturing on Hinduism to quite a diverse group on every occasion and he speaks of Hinduism as a way of life not just a religion-Hinduism encompasses all. What makes this man not qualified for the job as Cultural Advisor to the President?

Does it really matter if it is the man who needs the President or the President who needs the man? Can Kwayana see that this man brings with him a wealth of knowledge and that he is willing to give up his American lifestyle (that so many of us try to purchase) to be in Guyana where he will be of service to the Guyanese people? It is this type of attitude that has been preventing qualified Guyanese from returning to Guyana to serve the country we all love so much–the ‘dog in the manger’ attitude.

Oh, I almost forgot, Shri Gossai is in the centre of a court battle over a piece of land in Florida. Mr. Kwayana has not cited any impropriety on the part of Shri Gossai. Is it wrong for him to take a side in a dispute? It is not criminal and then the matter is in the courts–what of the outcome of the ‘court battle’? Will Shri Gossai be sent to jail? Even if that remote possibility materialises, until then Shri Gossai is an upright citizen and fully qualified for the job.

There is also the issue of the use of the word ‘followers’ to describe the people who are supporting Shri Gossai. Purely semantics. If I say that I have Christ in me does it mean there is the physical presence of the Son of God in me? It is common jargon-’supporters’ and ‘followers’ what is the difference. I will tell you that the man attracts quite a crowd anywhere he preaches or sings and people will follow him to different locations to hear him sing and/or speak–will you refer to these people as his followers or supporters? I am one of those persons and I am suggesting that it would do you a lot of good to listen to the Shri Gossai someday.

Ease up Mr Kwayana. Let’s see how we can use the resources we have to make Guyana a better place. Let us not continue to make it un-governable. It is a beautiful country.

Yours faithfully,

Charrandass Persaud