Dear Editor,
I had known Mr Clement Rohee as an opposition political activist for more than 25 years. During that time we both functioned in what had been known as the anti-dictatorial struggle and we had developed a kind of close political relationship working in the PCD.
Because of where he came from socially, Mr Rohee’s appointment as a Member of Parliament and Minister of the government after the PPP/C’s electoral victory in 1992 have been major achievements for him. I am certain that like many other stalwarts of the ruling party he has ambitions for further political advancement.
Given my own social background I have paid very close attention since 1992 to Rohee’s political development and conduct since he was thrust forcibly in the public’s view. I had observed, with tremendous sympathy for him, how, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was castigated by his detractors for a mistake he made in a vote in the United Nations General Assembly.
Those opposed to him had concentrated their attacks on his suitability for the position. In my view those attacks were to a large extent, due to class prejudices.
It is for that and other reasons that I had in the past, never publicly criticised Rohee for his shortcomings. However, since he became Minister of Home Affairs and had made a most damning statement, giving his unconditional support to the misconduct of the Guyana Police Force, I was forced to change that position and criticised him in public for what I considered was a grave mistake on his part. I made the observation that his remark at the time was unbecoming of a Minister who was expected to provide enlightened leadership to the police force that was expected in any civilized society.
Based on subsequent developments I have been forced to conclude that comrade Rohee has lost his working class consciousness and now sees social and political issues only from the position as a member of the ruling political elite and not as a representative of the poor and powerless, the class group which he emerged from. The taste of power has transformed him in a profound but negative way.
He sees himself as a ruler with wide political power. My advice to him is that he needs urgently to step back and reflect on whether he wants to self destruct, politically.
Rohee seems to be losing control. His recent reaction in Parliament to his comrade and Speaker of the House, Mr Ralph Ramkarran, during the Lusignan debate, when he not only demonstrated disrespect for the office of Speaker of the House but threatened extra – parliamentary action against the Speaker because remarks he (Rohee) was making at that time were ruled to be irrelevant to the issue under discussion, was at the least unbecoming and bordered on contempt. His conduct forced the Speaker to reprimand him and in defending himself and office said that he would not be intimidated by threats. This incident demonstrated Rohee’s arrogance and serves to underscore my point that he is becoming politically reckless. This may be due to an inflated sense of his importance to the party and government.
In the budget debate the same arrogance prevailed. His remark that he is not Ronald Gajraj and will not be forced out of the Home Affairs Ministry was misplaced and political bullyism. Only time will tell if he will be able to withstand a concerted attack on his conduct as Minister of Home Affairs. Only time will tell.
His demeanour in recent parliamentary debates is offensive and in the process of his presentations both inside and outside of Parliament he has committed a series of important political blunders in very sensitive areas. For instance, in the recent budget debate, he attributed to the police the responsibility for the deaths of a number of alleged criminals, some of whom were executed by the phantom death squads.
It is public knowledge that the police are on record denying responsibility for a number of these deaths. Presumably, Rohee as Minister of Home Affairs no longer feels any compulsion to keep denying the relationship between the phantom squads and the government. He has now confirmed what the political opposition has been claiming for years.
Rohee, the proclaimed Marxist or should I say former Marxist, surprised the parliament and nation by his reference to the biblical scripture and quoted, ” The powers that governed are those that are ordained by God , he that resisted the powers resisted God”. He invoked this passage in the scriptures to support the PPP/C’s right to rule and I will add, regardless of how they govern. By invoking a God-given right to rule, Rohee has rejected the importance of the PPP/C supporters – their votes now don’t matter. As the party with a God- given right to rule elections are therefore of no consequence. Rohee’s warped sense of history and his political ineptitude is once again demonstrated by his need to flex his muscles by the use of this biblical quotation. He was not the first politician to refer to that biblical quote in Guyana’s parliament. He seemed to have forgotten the fate of the Liberian President, William R Tolbert Jr who had visited Guyana in the 70s, and in a special secession of parliament seeking to give support to his friend the then Prime Minister, Mr Forbes Burnham, made reference to the same quote and not too long, after he was removed from office by the actions of earthly forces ending his God -given right to rule.
Frankly, I was most surprised at Rohee’s appointment as Minister of Home Affairs, after the removal of Comrade Gail Teixeira. Given Rohee’s poor relationship with President Bharrat Jadgeo, who had attempted earlier to remove him from the cabinet, his appointment came as a surprise. Rohee was saved by Mrs Janet Jagan and other stalwarts who united behind him and fought off Jadgeo’s demotion plan. In the face of the resistance to Rohee’s removal the President was forced to establish a new portfolio, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, to accommodate him. So why did the President appoint him to the sensitive Home Affairs Ministry portfolio? Was it as a result of the President’s plan B to politically destroy Rohee or was it the logical thing to do since his visa was withdrawn by the US State Department? My guess is that he was given the Home Affairs Ministry because the party hard liners wanted a trusted party comrade in charge of internal security. And Rohee saw this as an important opportunity to strengthen his power and influence in the party and government. Whatever are the reasons for his appointment it is now clear that comrade Rohee is on a “slippery road” politically and if he is not careful he may indeed end up as another disgraced Minister. Given the present crime and security situation in the country the last thing the nation needs is a warmonger heading the Home Affairs Ministry.
Finally, I am sure that Minister Clement Rohee would not heed my advice to him to step back and reflect it or change course. His continued refusal to correct his erroneous statement that Eusi Kwayana did not speak out on the Lusignan executions when in fact he was among the first to do so, is politically instructive. So too has been his silence on the joint services’ search of the home of Mr Kwayana. Rohee may turn out to be his own worst enemy.
Yours faithfully,
Tacuma Ogunseye
