By Charlene Wilkinson
Ms. Wilkinson is currently a lecturer in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies at the University of Guyana. Her chief areas of interest are in the literary arts and teaching creative writing and drama. She is now actively involved in language rights advocacy.
Every written language has its own writing system, and many societies boasting strong democracies are bilingual or multilingual with more than one native language used for writing. Not so in some Caribbean territories, especially the ex-British ones. But writing systems for all the Caribbean Creoles existed since the 1950s. However, linguistic insecurity on the part of educational leaders in these territories has inadvertently caused these writing systems to be kept a closed secret, used only by linguists and a small number of educational researchers. Consequently, the vast majority of people remain illiterate in their own native languages. The loss to cultural confidence that comes with using literacy for supporting the struggle for self-expression among the masses of people cannot be underestimated. The translation below therefore uses English spelling for words shared by English and Guyanese Creole to make it easier for Guyanese readers.
Dis a di petition wa mi sign: (Dis version wa use English spelling fo people who na learn fo read Guyanese writing)
Monday, Novemba ten, President Donald Ramotar tel di Guyanese people se ii suspend di Guyana Parliament. When ii come pon di TV fo talk to di nation bout wa ii duu, ii se di Government bin oblige fo do da, adawise di tenth Parliament wuda had fo close down. But ii na really telling di truth. Ii suspend di Parliament fo mek di PPP government hol aan to power. Yu sii, kaaz ii suspend di Parliament, ii force out di apposition an ii na set no date fo when dem could come back in di Parliament. So ii really tek way people rights wa di Constitution gi dem. In truth an in fact, di suspension gon blak di ‘No Confidence’ vote wa di combine opposition bin wahn fo talk bout in di Parliament. Di President lef di whole country in wan big confusion kaaz people na sure when di PPP gon mek Parliament call back again.
President Ramotar se ii na brok no laa. Aal di same, ii trying fo trick people. If yu check out wa di Constitution really mean, it na gi di President di right fo suspen di Parliament just so. Ii tek aan power like ii a wan king. Da kind a power na fo dis kind a government wa wi gat in Guyana. Guyana bin do way wid dem kind a power set op we di President carrying aan like se ii a wan king an we di rulinh party gat power over di people representative dem.
Pon tap a da, in 2000 aal man in di National Assembly bin gree fo paas wan bill fo ad aan di NO CONFIDENCE’ clause pon di Constitution. If di opposition dem tink tingz really need fo shake up an di country need fo get wan next election, dat de clause would lou da. Reepu Daman Persaud self se da clause gon stap anybody in di govament from get aan laik se dem a dikteeta. Reepu bin di Liida a di hous dem taim. If yu check di Parliament paper fo December 15, 2000, yu gon find wa ii se. (Dem da paper a wa dem kaal di Hansard.) Reepu Daman Persaud se di clause wa ad in important bad, kaaz it gon help di country fo ton moo democratic. But heer wa nou! Dis ting wa Ramotar do di other day (November 10) an claim se di Constitution lou ii fo do am, dat a wan backward ting from di 1980 Constitution, an ii do am fo purpose fo, blak di NO CONFIDENCE vote wa di new 2000 Constitution bin lou. Wach hou dis prorogation ting mek di new Constitution look like stupidness. Di 2000 Constitution bin suppose fo gi awi more power, miin fo se, aal di business fo di konchrii carrying-aan in kleer daylight fo everybody sii an di big wan dem could stay clear from corruption. But now, like wi gaan right back in di colonial days when di white ruler dem bin suspend di 1953 Consitution fo kick out Cheddi Jagan out a di government. Di same ting aal ova ageen.
Audio:
Wel Ramotar se ii na brok no law. But da no mean ii chriit di Guyanese people right. Ii no behave like wan democratic president. If you remember di Herdmanston Accord wa CARICOM bin set up in 1998, dat a di agreement wa bin mek di Constitution more better in 2001. Nou dat wi na gat no Parliment, di minority PPP government able fo do wa ever dem wahn fo do wid di country aal by deself. Di opposition kyaahn watch how dem spenin money, dem kyaahn discuss nothing wid dem, an dem kyaahn stop di minister from kyari aan how dem like an use dem power as dem like. Di PPP ton wan real dictator government fo true, an dem no even trying fo hide it.
Wen di PPP bin come in powa in 1992, dem se dem gwain bring back democracy in di country. But Jagdeo bin kyari aan wid a hool set a breeznnis wen ii bin in power, an now Ramotar kom an put di icing pon di cake. An yet ii se ii na brok no law. Look pon some a lawlessness wa dem bin a carrying aan wid:
Dem na hold no local government election since 1994. Dis a wan clear violation a di Constitution;
Dem na set op di Human Rights Commission;
Dem na set op di Public Procurement Commission. Dis woda show people hou di country money spenin;
Wen di Nashanal Asemblii paas bil in di Parliment, di PPP dem always contrary.
Aal over di eks-British Caribbean, wi get mark fo di moos corrupt country, an wi name even gaan abraad. Transparency International se wi a wan a di most corrupt country in di whole world.
A pure lawlessness aal over di country: Di police kyaahn solve di crime; dem so brutal dat dem torturing di suspect dem, an nof taim dem doohn bada arrest people fos, dem just kill dem so.
Di minister dem an some ada big wan violate di Constitution nof taim; wach how:
Dem kech di Minister fo Finance a spen money although di Parliament no approve it, an
Di Attorney General voice ge kech pon a recorder. Ii bin a threaten Kaieteur News. Plos, ii se ii noo bout wan time wen President Ramotar pass money fo ge di law pon ii an ii fren side.
A nof mo brazenness di PPP bin a kyari aan wid 22 yeer nou, sins dem de in powa. But November 10 bin di wos. Di country just lef in limbo kaaz nobadi na noo wen Parliament gon kaal bak. Di PPP don wid democracy. Hou yu kud gat democracy if yu na gat no Parliament? Di PPP minority government tek dem aiz an paas di Guyanese people. Dem plan fo stay in power doohn care wa.
Aal a wi wa sign dis petition here a people wa concern bout di situation in di country. Wi wahn Guyanese people wa de home a dem wa de a farin fo stan pon wi side. Plos want other people from di region an outside di region fo stan wid wi. Wi wahn alyu fo help wi kaal pon President Ramotar fo set op bak di Parliment laik hou wan democracy suppose fo wok an na waste no moo time. A high time dem staat fo straighten out di Constitution fo mek shoor no mo govament kyaahn plee dikteeta!
Fo sign di petition, check out:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/President_Donald_Ramotar_Guyana_Reconvene_Parliament_immediately_and_return_to_the_path_of_democracy/?sKmsGib
