Dear Editor,
In response to my letter published on January 20 (KN), (‘A voter has the right to secrecy’ SN, January 21) President Jagdeo made a series of accusations against me. I am not accustomed to gutter politics and will therefore ignore some of what was said but there are a few issues which need to be addressed.
I am not bothered about his excuse about non-performance. Those involved in the areas of environmental and natural resources management know better. I remain proud of my contributions to this field and I’m humbly appreciative of the expressions of appreciation by the people who matter in Guyana, the Caribbean and beyond.
Many are aware of the real reasons for my removal. The President in informing me of his decision to relieve me of the position of Adviser never mentioned “non-performance.” Instead he accused me of being openly critical of him, which is ironic since I have been careful to restrict my criticisms to the internal PPP and Cabinet forums.
It seems as though my “non-performance” has been this speaking up in the internal forums when I did not agree with the views and actions of others regardless of their official status.
Once again, the President talks about “rum shops.” Like most Guyanese, I socialize in public places with my friends and enjoy running into old friends and acquaintances of all walks of life. I do not hide and have nothing to hide. Maybe, in this new period of Exquisite Hangouts for the more financially endowed, the status of the places where everyone else hangs out has been downgraded to rum shops. I prefer to be surrounded by the average Guyanese than the new elites.
I am accused of being bitter and vindictive. The vindictive part has to be an attempt at a joke. Every Guyanese knows who is the most vindictive of all.
It is probably felt that I am bitter because I have numerous reasons to be. But I have been brought up to recognise that bitterness is self-destructive. Instead of being bitter, I was taught to be resolute and principled. Unlike many people, I can hold my head up and walk with confidence and self-respect surrounded by an abundance of genuine friends.
I am not bothered by the personal attacks since it is his preferred method. But I must deal with the political accusations made by the President.
He claims that I am suggesting that “other members of the central committee (CC) are all cowards who are afraid to speak freely and openly about who they want to support.” What a deflection of the guilt. He is the one who initially stated that CC members could be induced by a promise.
The President claims that “I am resentful and jealous of young people taking leadership positions.” How absurd. He is aware of the high esteem in which I hold the Head of the PYO – the youth arm of the PPP. I was personally involved in the growth of many youth leaders, and have always opposed measures which stultify youth, kill initiative and treat them as robots.
In closing I wish to say that many young people still recognise my willingness and competence to help them. Late last year, I was invited to serve as a Principal Adviser to the Guyana Chapter of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network.
I’ve accepted.
I have confidence in the youth and the future of Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Navin Chandarpal
