Dear Editor,
As we celebrate the 36th birth anni-versary of the late President Burnham, Freddie Kissoon has returned to his denigration of Burnham. I am tired of pinpointing the gross inaccuracies of Kissoon and I am glad that others have also noted and highlighted his “slew of inaccuracies” in just one column. Since people still read his columns, I cannot allow his inaccuracies to go unexposed. We can`t allow crass misrepresentations to pass for facts. The Burnham Foundation is alive and at minimum has a television programme: State of the Nation which is aired every fourth Sunday of each month at 10.00 am on HBTV Channel Nine. It is also archived on You Tube. I now address Freddy`s proclivity and debunk his inaccuracies even as I remember Sparrow`s calypso: Lying Excuses. Freddy could do well by serenading himself with that song.
Freddy is selective about Burnham and wants to research from 1968. Burnham came to power in 1964. Any history of him should cover his entire period in government. On the question of the equality of ethnic groups, it was Burnham`s Government that introduced the ethnic holidays; made education free for all and introduced the secular school system; along with the removal of the imposition of the sectarian religious practices in the schools, the majority of which were Christian. Indian Guyanese dominated the agricultural and business sectors and were major beneficiaries of the fishermen cooperative facilities, unto today, among others. Even the PNC scholarships (not the Government`s) to the Peoples` Friendship University, in Moscow, saw as many Indians as Afros as the awardees, unlike the PPP which from 1979, inclusive of Bharrat Jagdeo`s batch, never sent an African Guyanese. That all Guyanese were affected by the food shortages, inclusive of flour and split peas, cannot be statistically refuted. However, it is true that the PPP sought to particularize the shortages for political gain.
I am still to find the Land to the Tiller Act to which Freddy refers. On the contrary, Indians maintained their dominance in the agriculture sector and would have been the beneficial tillers if there was such an act. This too can be borne out by statistics. Freddy`s academia does not include statistical evidence. Freddy never stops writing that National Service was compulsory. The only compulsory component of National Service was for University students. The majority of National Service, constituting over 80%, was voluntary. Ask Jerry Gouveia and Peter Ramsaroop both of whom attended voluntarily and Joe Singh, who was once its Director General. With regard to compromise and consultation it is a matter of national record that Burnham held unity talks with the PPP more than once. He also agreed that all female university students would have the choice to attend or not attend National Service. This was in response to the PPP`s demand that female Indian university students be exempted from National Service. Janet Jagan jettisoned its implementation. Not to mention that GAWU, the labour arm of the PPP, was granted recognition under Burnham`s regime, even as it continued to sabotage the economy by the persistent burning of cane.
Freddy Kissoon’s diatribe cannot pass academic muster but may well cause further division and disunity if not exposed and refuted. It is unfortunate that the resourceful Kaieteur News refuses to fact check Freddy`s column. I am prepared to have my information fact checked along-side that of Freddy`s diatribe.
Sincerely,
Vincent Alexander
Chairman
Forbes Burnham Foundation
