Vishnu Samaroo should have been appointed Chairman of Region Two

Dear Editor,

Owing to the fact that we are so segregated in Region Two, I think it matters not when some groups and persons are affected in the PPP. Corruption is allowed to reign in this country depending on which person is the recipient. When the voices of the party Regional Committee of District Two Pomeroon/Supenaam are raised in relation to justice and the Regional Chairman‘s  position, there is an onslaught to silence them.

The citizens in Essequibo are very uneasy about the decision taken by the President and General Secretary of the PPP to appoint a former Member of Parliament with a dismal record as Chairman of the region. Don’t people speak out any more? Or have we all become silenced by our own selfish greed and ambition. I speak so because some years ago I spoke out on some concerns I felt about the mismanagement of finances at the party office. Sad to say, I was the only person from the party group who apparently was perturbed about the matter, as many others just sat back and were voiceless at a time when their voices needed to be heard.

The Regional Vice Chairman, Comrade Vishnu Samaroo would have been a superb pick to fill this position given his two terms of past experience and his formal qualifications in management. Comrade Vishnu Samaroo was called upon to serve the Regional Administration in 2001 and worked his way up and finally became the acting Chairman on many occasions. He also worked with the party as an organizer for a number of years. Comrade Samaroo has a sound knowledge of Region Two, especially in management, drainage and irrigation, sea defence, roads and the agricultural sector.

In 1997 the former MP and party organizer was unceremoniously removed by the late comrade Janet Jagan following certain allegations. Are we afraid of victimization if we speak out? We live in a time when it is right to do anything, especially when you are in high places.

The questions we must and should be asking are as follows: (1) Was it a sensible decision by the President or appropriate authority to appoint the same person to hold the chairmanship of this vital region when his record was poor? Why couldn’t Vishnu Samaroo, a man of repute have been appointed? There was a public uproar when his name was not announced by the party Regional Committee.

Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan