Dear Editor,
The comedy to which Eric Phillips lends himself would be merely irritating had it not been for what it reveals about the personalities involved.
In a letter on April 2 he fires an opening volley by stating that Bakr has neither law nor fact on his side and that in fact and law, indigenous genocide and chattel slavery are crimes. As if I claim otherwise.
Pathetic, the pretence that he is arguing against a Bakr holding out that the two crimes are acceptable. Recall that this started with Mr Phillips’s confusion about African involvement in the slave trade.
He seemed not to be aware, or chose not to reveal (it did not suit his purposes) that Ghana, an African nation, has already apologised for native roles in the slave trade. Several of its chiefs held a public ceremony of apology. Mathieu Kerekou as President of Benin at the time made public apologies for his ancestor’s role in the traffic. In the Cameroun a tribal chief made public excuses to an African descendant from America.
The idea of African involvement in the trade is neither novel nor treasonous. Among Western countries, the US House and Senate both apologised. So did a scattering of sources over time and space.
But instead of taking the discourse to this level of knowledge, Phillips spends time flailing at the straw man that he has fashioned, and posting the embarrassment on the web.
One asks oneself ‘What is the real objective of Mr Phillips’ manoeuvres?’ And one concludes.
It is all destined for the Facebook page, Youtube and career promotion.
At this point, one understands the futility of the exchange. One recalls the last African placed in a position in an ethnic organisation.
The Bishop in question ends up stating that the PPP is the party for which Jesus would have voted – ends up fixed in a ministry somewhere. Which is not to cast aspersions.
Only to remind one to proceed with caution. Doubtless the PPP and President Ramotar had good intentions in convening/creating the National Com-mittee for Reparations, etc.
Yours faithfully,
Abu Bakr
