Dear Editor,
I respond here to the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Gerry Gouveia and the other responders re my perception of Gouveia’s tone and conduct in his abrasive and disrespectful letter to Keith Lowenfield, Commissioner of National Registration/Chief Election Officer which was carried in the newspapers on Monday, July 22nd, 2019. What follows is indicative of my firm conviction that I took the right course of action in condemning Gouveia’s pompous, ridiculous and obnoxious tone and language in his letter.
The first point I wish to note here is related to the bias displayed by certain media houses, in their treatment of views expressed by persons/organisations aligned to Gouveia and their ignoring of views expressed by individuals in the society which are not in sync with those of his allies. A case in point is the Gouveia/PSC letters which have been fully ventilated in segments of the media, particularly, the Guyana Times. However, my letter dated, July 24th, 2019, which responded to Gouveia’s first letter to Lowenfield, has not seen the light of day, except in the Guyana Chronicle. Even as I write to give my impressions on the article captioned `PSC slams Govt- aligned Commissioner over `racist’ attack’, I do so fully convinced that my side of the story may not be carried by the Times, Kaieteur News or by any of the other media houses.
The PSC appeal to the Government of Guyana “to take the appropriate action with regard to Mr. Trotman’s attack on the integrity and good name of the PSC Chairman” is intended to ensure that under no circumstance, should my fundamental right to free speech and fair comment be upheld. It is interesting to note that this is a position also held by another non-member of the PSC, who likes to posture as a defender of free speech and democratic norms but who, when pressured, seeks the assistance of the court to trample on that right when it is exercised by an opponent.
But what “integrity and good name of the PSC Chairman” they are referring to here?
Let Gouveia and the PSC deny that at the discussion organised by the Government which was held at the Ocean View Hotel to find ways of dealing with the deteriorating situation re the escalating violence that followed the Mash Day jail break, it was no less a person than a member of the PSC who proposed at that forum, that the Jagdeo government should give consideration to the hiring of mercenaries to deal with the situation.
Let Gouveia and the PSC say if a large segment of the population was wrong to say that at least two high officials of the PSC assisted in the formation of the phantom squad and that members of the PSC funded its operations.
Let Gouveia and the PSC say why they did nothing when, at the height of the violence that was sweeping Guyana, and subsequent to the then UN Resident Representative initiating all-party discussions in an attempt at finding a solution to the problem, President Jagdeo announced that the UN rep was interfering in the affairs of Guyana and demanded that the UN authorities recall him with immediate effect. And let them say if there is/has been any such parallel action by the incumbent Granger-led coalition government
Let Gouveia and the PSC say why they refused to participate in the formation of the broad-based alliance, the Peoples Movement for Justice, which agitated for an inquiry into the behaviour of former Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj, who was accused of a number of offences including supplying sophisticated weapons to Axel Williams, a known member of the phantom squad. Let them say why they did not even acknowledge receipt of the invitation to participate
Let Gouveia and the PSC say what was their response to the remarks made in Parliament by Ronald Gajraj when the report of the COI was laid and he said that he had no apologies to make for his actions and that he would do it again.
Let Gouveia and the PSC say what was their response to President Jagdeo’s appointment of Ronald Gajraj to the position of High Commissioner to India, immediately after the damning report that condemned him.
Let Gouveia and the PSC deny that in almost every instance of their appearance at fora discussing issues of national importance, their concerns have always been about protecting their profit margins and deflecting flak away from the PPP regime. And let them say what meaningful contributions they have made over the years to the development of this society. The list goes on and on. No amount of self- serving rhetoric on their part will erase the widely held belief that they are inextricably linked to the PPP. Neither Gouveia nor the PSC, no, neither of them, has the moral authority to speak with conviction on what they have done for Guyana.
I will not be surprised if, after this has been read I will be sued for libel, because the truth hurts, I will also not be surprised if a motion is presented to GECOM to remove me as a Commissioner.
I will also not be surprised if a motion is brought before the courts to deem me “not fit and proppa” to be a member of GECOM.
I will also not be surprised if my detractors, consistent with the actions of the Leader of the Opposition, call on the representatives of the diplomatic community to have their governments impose sanctions on me. I want to say this here: this descendant of slaves will not be deterred by threats to my life and liberty, neither will threats of sanctions force me into silence. I reserve for myself the right to speak to issues of concern to me and unless stopped by death, will continue to do so.
Being sanctioned is not anything new to me. I am not fazed by it. I lost a job because I dared to stand up for what I believed to be right and will do so again. I however believe those who will call for sanctions are more vulnerable than I am. I have neither money in an overseas account nor property hidden away in any country, I have not indulged in money laundering activities, I don’t do drugs, nor am I involved in the illicit gold trade, I pay my taxes and unlike the “good citizens” of this land, I live within the boundaries of both local and international laws. The most that could happen to me, if sanctioned by the foreign governments, is that the US will revoke the non-immigrant visa, which I occasionally travel on when visiting relatives and friends in the USA and I will be banned from gaining entry to the other countries. So what if that happens. Those who are in violation of these and other laws and have their wives, children and other family members resident overseas, should be careful when calling for sanctions to be imposed on others. It may happen to them. I hope the diplomatic community, who no doubt will be approached to sanction me will keep them on their radar and not ignore the threat they pose to law and order and to the economies of their countries.
Yours faithfully,
Desmond Trotman
