Dear Editor,
If one were to follow Mr Tacuma Ogunseye’s ramblings in his letter of 30th August 2024 in the Guyana KN titled “Ogunseye replies to Sultan Mohamed” one would certainly become more confused.
Let’s start from the bottom of his letter. (1) Mr Ogunseye retorts that my assertion that Dr Rodney was with agreement with Dr Jagan to merge the WPA with the PPP is a fabrication. How would he know otherwise? Dr Rodney must have been aware that the WPA was infiltrated by the PNC state apparatus. He trusted few in the WPA. In fact he did not even trust Mr Kwayana as the latter was against the use of violence while Dr Rodny was so inclined. Mr Ogunseye provides no evidence for his rebuttal. Yet I am on record that it was Mr Hubert Rodney, younger brother of Dr Rodney who enlightened me about the merger agreement! See https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2021/06/13/rodney-would-have-merged-wpa-into-the-ppp-in-the-long-term/
(2) Mr Ogunseye wrote he was in the audience at Queens College when Trinidad born US Black Power advocate Mr Stokely Carmichael defined Black Power as being for black people separately – to the objections of Indian students who heckled him and walked out of the meeting. It is true that Mr Carmichael did say that Indians too should go and organize themselves separately. I too was at Queens College as was the ROAR’s Mr Ravi Dev and the DLM’s Mr Paul Tennassee. So what is Dr Roopnarine, Mr Moses Bhagwan and Mr Rohit Kanhai doing in the WPA when they have absolutely no grounding whatsoever among the Indian community? Shouldn’t they be separately organizing Indians for political power just as Mr Kwayana has been a historical and unapologetic champion of exclusive African peoples rights? Mr Ogunseye positively fails to acknowledge by omission that Dr Rodney defined Black Power to include Indians! None can deny that the charismatic Dr Rodney had immense multi racial appeal especially among Indians.
(3) Mr Ogunseye is still on record as championing armed means to achieve political power in Guyana. In fact he as well as Dr Rodney and Dr Roopnarine were on the WPA committee to amass weapons to overthrow the PNC government. Double agent Mr. Robert Allan Gates driver and bodyguard of Dr Roopnarine confirmed to the Rodney Commission of Inquiry (RCOI) that he witnessed the collection of arms by the WPA leader! In any violent means to achieve political power Indians would be at a disadvantage as Mr Burnham seized all Indian guns in the 1960s.
Mr Ogunsye’s contradiction is that unlike him, Mr Kwayana was against the use of armed means of removing the PNC government. As the preeminent Afrocentric leader Mr Kwaayna could not fathom the thought of Africans shooting Africans in the unbalanced Africanized armed forces of Guyana. Why is Mr Ogunseye, as a seasoned and proclaimed WPA co leader again, so openly and consistently championing the use of violence in a fragile multi racial society like Guyana? See WPA’s Ogunseye fails to reject violence By his own words, Ogunseye’s position on violence is unchanged In fact why is the PNC so desperately courting the WPA to be in a coalition considering the latter’s proclivity for violence?
(4) Mr Ogunseye admits that “Mr Kwayana called for ‘partition’, – end of story.” Far from the end of this long divisive story by the merchant of partition – Mr Kwayana is its truth. What Mr Ogunseye should acknowledge is that the race problem is not solvable by violence. The choices are clear;we can continue to embrace merchant Mr Kwayana’s partition advocacy or go with Mr Ravi Dev’s alternatively suggested Federalism. Both Africans and Indians would be free to manage themselves under Federalism without the humbuggery of the other. What do you say about Federalism Mr Ogunseye?
Respectfully
Sultan Mohamed.