Dear Editor,
A recent comment by US Congressman Hakeem Jeffries was covered by several news outlets in the Caribbean. As far as I can tell, SN did not cover this story presumable because of higher journalistic standards. That is commendable, but unfortunately, that horse has left the stable,
The comment was made in a sleazy propaganda video posted by an acolyte of APNU+AFC. It was heavy on rhetoric but hollow on substance. It made for a juicy headline but regrettably, it was not subjected to and will not withstand basic journalistic scrutiny.
The source video is laced with innuendos and vile statements by the partisan host with monologues dressed up as questions. In it, the Congressman parroted a false narrative that was being peddled by a political henchman masquerading as a journalist and engaged in a vicious smear campaign. That should have been enough to toss the whole story in a garbage dump but many didn’t.
The Congressman said he was aware of and monitoring the situation in Guyana as it relates to the recent election. That was not evident when he asserted that the US interfered in “an extraordinary way” in the elections. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There are no reports, allegations or evidence of US interference in the 2020 elections. None whatsoever. If commenting on matters arising from an election is interfering in the election then the Congressman and his party have a lot of history to explain. The media gave him a free pass on this.
He said that the manner in which the US government “favours one party, the opposition party, potentially to the detriment of the ruling party is deeply troubling to a lot of us in Washington.”
That statement, parroted from an utterance by the host, does not accord with the facts.
With two parties claiming victory, the US State Department issued a firm statement: “individuals who seek to benefit from electoral fraud and form illegitimate governments/regimes will be subject to a variety of serious consequences.”
The statement speaks for itself. It was unambiguous and even handed. No individual or party was named and any suggestion that the US government favoured the opposition party to the “detriment of the ruling party” is unadulterated hogwash. A quick fact check would have revealed that but again, the media failed to do due diligence.
If the Congressman was monitoring or aware of the situation as he claims, he would have known that the State Department issued that statement following blatant and transparent acts of chicanery by persons associated with the APNU+AFC government. Chaos was looming and the statement was pre-emptive. It was a call to order intended to serve as a deterrent to anyone intent on electoral fraud. It was effective to the extent that it forestalled well laid plans by APNU+AFC to swear in an unelected President.
If the Congressman was aware of his Government’s position he would have known that the statement was aimed at persons contemplating electoral fraud and conversely, only those with fraudulent designs would be concerned. He would have known that nine parties contested the election but only APNU+AFC and it supporters are concerned about potential consequences for electoral fraud. He would have seen the outreach to him as a red flag indicative of consciousness of guilt.
Bob Marley’s lyrics “I throw mi corn, mi no call no fowl” and “Who the cap fit, let them wear it” could have been helpful to the Congressman in this regard.
If the Congressman was monitoring and aware of the situation in Guyana as he claims he would have known that the US is on the same page as the UK, Canada, the EU, the OAS and Caricom on this issue. He would have seen the comments of the Carter Center, an organisation founded by a fellow Democrat and former President of the United States who said that the “most personal danger” he ever felt was in Guyana when the PNC lost the elections in 1992.
These important facts were not mentioned during the “interview” or by the media in any of the articles published or aired. It was shoddy journalism.
In the face of scurrilous and obscene attacks, Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch has done an incredible job in service of democracy in Guyana. On this issue, the Ambassador is dead right and the Congressman is dead wrong. His name is now etched to the vile video he blessed.
Congressman “If you don’t know, now you know.”
Yours faithfully,
Milton Jagannath
