The Brazilians have strict codes of practice for ministers and diplomats

Dear Editor,

My former journalist colleague at the Mirror, Kellawan Lall, should know by now that the Brazilians do not put up with the disorderly behaviour that we experience here on a daily basis under the current regime. The Brazilians have very strict codes of practice for ministers of government, officials and diplomats, and the Brazilian Embassy here is not sleeping.

This unprecedented degree of procrastination by the Brazilians over the appointment of Mr Lall as our country’s ambassador to Brasilia should send a message to Messrs Jagdeo and Ramotar that our neighbours and the international community will no longer tolerate the lowering of their standard of professionalism and competence.

We live in an era of massive all-round changes, and those who think that they can do anything to hurt our people and destroy this nation and get away with it better be warned.

I am expecting attacks from those detractors and defenders of the Jagdeo-Ramotar regime who get the freedom to write what they want on the SN website, a freedom we (opponents of this regime) do not enjoy in the state-run Chronicle newspaper or the state-run television station. These gross violations of freedom of speech and expression are noted by important international bodies and soon they will raise their voices and take appropriate action.

Guyana and Guyanese are not alone in this struggle to rid themselves of this regime. And may I add, that as General Secretary of the PPP, Donald Ramotar is as culpable as Jagdeo and many others of the mismanagement of our country. Make no mistake about this: Mr Ramotar would not have been fully endorsed by Mr Jagdeo if he was not an active accomplice. During the election campaign this will be revealed from all quarters, most resoundingly from former activists of the PPP and current members.

One very senior PPP member told me yesterday at the Gecom meeting that he has been making a lot of noise inside the party, “Only that we don’t hear it.”  Many more are talking to us privately.

Yours faithfully,
M Jinnah Rahman