Dear Editor,
I am an Indo-Guyanese who lived in Guyana and sat on a peerah like that Indo-Guyanese woman in the SN cartoon. I am now living in the USA, and I support Barack Obama. All candidates have their own merits. I did not support other Afro-American candidates like Jessie Jackson because he was not serious. Bill Clinton compared Barack Obama to Jesse Jackson in the context of Barack Obama not being a serious candidate, which I rejected. Mr Harris wrote: “Barack Obama was given that vote by a wide cross-section of different races” (‘Why can’t we?’ SN 25.6.08).
Is Mr Harris comparing Barack Obama to Afro-Guyanese presidential candidates for the Guyana presidency? Our Guyanese presidential candidates need to show solid proof of how they appeal to a “wide cross-section of different races.” Mr Harris wrote: “he [Barack Obama] was not brought to that position by a black vote, no sir!” Mr Harris is correct as he might have noticed the percentages by race in the Democratic party supporting Obama. But I do not see a good mix in terms of racial percentages in Guyana’s political parties where Afro-Guyanese presidential candidates are concerned. Why draw a cartoon of an Indo-Guyanese woman whether or not poor or illiterate, and not ask our presidential candidates to venture into a wide cross-section of different races? We must not criticize the voters for their choices, but we must ask more from the political parties and their presidential candidates on voting by a wide cross-section of different races as Mr Harris stated correctly in respect of Barack Obama. If would be nice some day, if Guyanese could put their feet in other races’ shoes to justify their thoughts. And freedom of speech is not to be used to hurt someone. If SN thinks that this cartoon is justifiable because of voting by race, then it should try to reverse the races and ask the same for the acceptance of an Indo-Guyanese president. We are all guilty. We have to press upon the political parties they shoud appeal to all races.
Yours faithfully,
Rudy Somwaru
The President and all the congressmen in America are the best politicians money can buy.
They are paid for lock stock and barrel by the “unseen” powerbrokers and real rulers of America, These power brokers are not always Americans, but any rich enough business entity who wish to influence american politics to their benefit, They send high pay lobbyist to congress to protect and ensure their business dealings are allowed, Many of these lobbyists are retired congressmen.
No cooperation in America allow it’s employees to choose it’s CEO. They are chosen by the share holders of the cooperation.
Similarly, it is the shareholders who get the final say in the Mega Rich Cooperation we call America.
When Americans finally get to cast their ballots on paper, the mega rich would have already cast their vote with the only paper that has any meaning to it’s government, and that is money.
If Mr. Obama wins, so be it. It is the desired wish of Amecica’s Shareholders.
Joe.
The Big oil companies, Exxon, Mobile, BP have all silently moved into Iraq and inked deals to export Iraqi oil, very little of this was ever mentioned by the media.
American politics is much more complex and deeply layered that meet the eye of you and me. So stop working yourselves up over a silly cartoon my friends, it has no revelance to what takes place in America, there are more important issues taking place on the world stage and all is not what is seems to be.
Joe.
Hey Rudy racism is a biproduct of ignorance and lies however, the advent of television and appropriate television programing into the social conversation of the Guyanese society is one anecdote to curing that ignorance.
The folks at the AFC may not know this corelation but their success at the last election has a lot to do with television in Guyana. The more Gayanese see varying television programing both local and international the more that racial ignorance disappears. Patience is a virtue here.