Dear Editor,
From the absurd to the ridiculous! This is what came to mind as I read Freddie Kissoon’s article in Kaieteur News of Monday, November 17.
First, in his articles, he was telling us about “elected dictatorship,” an absurd allegation about the PPP/C government and after coming off this, he is now telling us, among other things, that “since the PPP has come into power, the record of violations has been mountainous,” and further, that “ it is only from around 2002, we began taking note of egregious decisions by the PPP Government. Before that, the PPP Government got away with some unbearable wrongs.”
In other words, he is telling us that the PPP was able to do a lot of things for the years after 1992, without being challenged and criticized, because everyone wanted to give the PPP a chance to function, because of “goodwill.”
This is absolute rubbish and is not borne out by the facts and history, as the PPP was under constant threats and challenge from 1992. Every election to office of the PPP from 1992 was not accepted by the main opposition party, the PNC, until the most recent election in 2006.
In 1992, it took international pressure to compel President Hoyte to bring the elections to a conclusion. The then elections’ building was stormed by PNC supporters, egged on by their leaders, with many being bussed in from outside Georgetown with supplies of bricks in the vehicles.
Every window in the building was reportedly broken and attempts made to gain entrance and get at the computers. Many of those protesting that they were not allowed to vote, were observed to have had their right index fingers stained with voters’ ink. Eventually, with no alternative left to him, President Hoyte conceded victory to the PPP/C. But this did not mean peace and calm.
He however said that the PPP/C would not last more than two years in office, and the PNC continued with, what was in effect, political campaigning. Many observed that since 1992, elections never appeared to come to an end, as constant efforts were made by the PNC and their acolytes, especially in certain sections of the media to engineer the overthrow of a democratically elected government.
We had the increased turmoil after the 1997 elections when Mrs Janet Jagan was elected President, with the many so-called ‘peaceful’ street marches and rallies, when many innocent people were beaten and robbed, businesses looted and burnt down, with threats of “slow fire/more fire,” all with the declared intention of making the country “ungovernable.” Appeals were made to their “kith and kin” in the police force, whose officers and ranks were performing at the highest levels of professionalism to maintain safety and peace, and to whom, President Jagdeo said, we all owe a debt of gratitude.
Then there was the Guyana Public Service Union strike in 1999, closing down government ministries and agencies, a strike that was clearly politically motivated and directed. Violent protests also followed the 2001 elections when President Jagdeo was elected President. It was only after the 2006 elections, when the PPP/C again won, that the results were accepted peacefully, which was a great achievement for the people, political parties and country.
If Freddie Kissoon and others are seeking to rewrite history as recent as during the last sixteen years, then what are they going to do with the history before 1992 ? Are they going to rewrite it, to whitewash the record of the PNC regime and make them look good, so they can then continue to vilify the PPP/C government to fit in with their political, personal and selfish agendas?
Yours faithfully,
John Da Silva
