Dear Editor,
Mr Vishnu Bisram provided an impressive account (March 11) of his activities that benefited Cheddi Jagan and the PPP to debunk assertions of Joey Jagan and PPP communists that he, Bisram, and others are anti-Jagan. Bisram asserts he helped power Jagan and the PPP to office Bisram and therefore could not be described as anti-Jagan.
Bisram and others penned articles critical of Jagan’s communism that irked Joey and the communists. Instead of directing his venom at Bisram and others, Joey should target the leadership of the PPP who have been involved in policy making and businesses that stain the name of Jagan and the party that he, Janet, and others founded. It seems to me and many other Guyanese that it is the PPP that is anti-Jagan. It seems to me that the individuals who are most anti-Jagan are Joey himself and several in leadership positions in the PPP. Joey did not defend his father’s name on good governance after the passing of the old man. It is recalled that Joey attacked his father’s government as well as Janet’s government for the constant blackouts during the 1990s.
Bisram, Dev, Ramharack, Seecharan are using freedom of speech to write on issues. Cheddi would have welcomed their critiques and had a debate. He never censored speech, and he never personally attacked anyone as Joey is doing. Cheddi welcomed critics and critiques. He listened to them and debunked their arguments. He would not have supported Joey and the others who wanted to silence critics and who resorted to name calling, labeling, and abusive language against whom they disagreed.
Instead of spitting venom on Bisram and other objective critics, Joey should train his guns on the PPP, which since the death of Cheddi in 1997 and Janet in 2008, have become anti Cheddi, anti-Janet, and anti-working class. Cheddi was the most anti-corrupt individual in the history of colonial and independent Guyana. He was very frugal, warning against lavish expenditures — a cadillac lifestyle in a donkey cart economy. Since 2020, the PPP has become the most corrupt party in the history of the country. Has Joey forgotten that corruption led him to abandon the PPP in 2011 and endorsed the AFC and subsequently the coalition in 2015, resulting in the defeat of the PPP. He lambasted the PPP on corruption prior to 2015. He assailed the PPP for censorship. I was at Babu John in the scorching heat waiting for the leaders who were late. Listen to the language of the PPP leadership uttered at Babu Jaan threatening political association, party formation, and those who critique the government. The present PPP government disrespects labor unions. Collective bargaining is violated. Would Cheddi have approved of the position and policies of his successors?
Since 2020, Joey, Donald Ramotar, Clement Rohee, and others have been silent on corruption and censorship. Is it a case of the “mouth being silenced by the hands that are feeding it’, as Martin Carter so eloquently wrote in his poems? Rohee was critical of the government prior to his appointment as Gecom Commissioner. He is praiseworthy of the government now. Ramotar doesn’t see the government’s anti-working class policy as anti-Jagan. He is silent on violations of collective bargaining.
Yours truly,
Roopchand Sharma