How classless Brigadier David Granger, President of Guyana, can be! Now that he has fixed a date (March 02, 2020) for the elections, he is threatening the Opposition to come to the Assembly and pass his proposed bills! It is clear that Granger has put the fate of Guyana not in the Constitution but in his hands! What a grave responsibility!
Interestingly, a few days aback, after being scolded by the EU and the Americans, Brigadier Granger was chiding ‘descendants of former European colonisers’ for not compensating former slaves. Addressing the 2nd Annual General Assembly of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly, the Brigadier said: “Some of the authors of that crime have never apologised, have never paid reparation…you know who brought you here, never apologized but now they try to correct other people.”
Brigadier Granger has never been corrected by CARICOM whose silence condones his breach of natural justice. But this is the manner of the man-see the mole in another’s eye but not the beam in yours. President Granger’s excuse was that the onus was on GECOM-Guyana Elections Commission to fix the date of the elections and as far as he was concerned he had not breached the Constitution.
Nevertheless, by Brigadier Granger’s logic, there can be no charge of discrimination or racism because the Chair of GECOM, Claudette Singh, is of East Indian descent. This is the contempt the PNC has for Indians. Put up a Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan and the PNC is exempted from all charges of racism and discrimination! It is the old colonial strategy that was used by the colonial masters that Granger has now chosen to rule over the Opposition PPP.
Shamelessly, this Guyanese President and CARICOM sub-committee on reparation have refused to include descendant of indentured labourers who have labored in the sugar-cane fields, sacrificed and built the territories where they settled. These blacks argue that Indians were free laborers and were paid for their services. What blacks have not said but is implicit in their argument, is that Africans believe they have a monopoly on suffering and exploitation.
Before I agree with President Granger’s broadside on former colonisers I would like him to exempt one white from that categorization in the person of Peter D’Aguiar. It was with D’Aguiar’s support (United Force) in 1964 that the PNC came to office. D’Aguiar must have lived to regret his action because, once in power, Burnham and Granger had no need for him. Nevertheless, Brigadier Granger should contemplate honouring this one descendant of European colonisers for the noble role he played in removing the PPP from office and entrenching the PNC in power. Never mind the consequences of PNC rule was disastrous-mass migration, poverty, racism and violence. The fact is D’Auguiar helped put the PNC on the saddle of power and this singular whiteman must be recognized for his vision!
It is important for President Granger not to act hastily in criticizing the descendants of former colonisers for lest he be called a MAHA NEEMAKHARAM. And why I say so is because our BLACK lives are so intertwined with the WHITES. We as black people should never forget that the whiteman gave us Jesus and taught us how to pray; they taught us to dress in shirt and tie, jacket and sun glasses; they taught us to eat with knife and fork, to use toilet paper for personal hygiene, etc. They bless us with languages and a rich cuisine, medicine and a political system to govern ourselves. The whites also taught us how to rig an election and how to discriminate against others and yet smell like a rose. As Black people we owe much to massa!
While the majority of people of the Caribbean have been brought here against their will, I would like to take this opportunity to make an appeal on behalf of the indigenous people of the Americas. These people are almost decimated. More so, the lands on which we stand belong to them. But President Granger is totally ignoring this truism. Instead, he has chosen to pick a fight with the descendants of the former colonisers.
The truth is the Europeans and the American are asked by President Granger to mind their own business and that he (Granger) should be left to smash up the place. “Guyana is my land and I have the right to run it as I see best. Who vex loss!”
