Clement Rohee speaks: The circus goes on

Oct 28, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

My name is Frederick Kissoon, Minister Rohee. As a social analyst with both the print and electronic media (have been so since 1988), I have to engage in mainstream journalism, particularly the investigative aspects. My journalistic investigations, Mr. Rohee, revealed that there is an unpleasant reason why you could not receive an American visa (any type, both non-immigrant and diplomatic) for six months. Can you please, tell the media and the Guyanese people why you could not?
I am kindly asking you to do so and will insist that you do so, because you are asking my fellow Guyanese to vote for you. That brings into the picture an enormous obligation to be forthright with the citizens of this country. If you cannot fulfill your obligation to us then, Mr. Rohee, I believe that you should resign from public life immediately. Before I move off this topic, I call upon you once more to offer the reason why you could not receive any type of American visa for six continuous months.
I know the reason, Mr. Rohee. Please do not force me to disclose it publicly. Even if the newspapers do not want to print my knowledge of this particular episode, I will do so at the public meeting that is scheduled for this evening at Stabroek Market Square under the umbrella of the Committee for Human Rights and Free and Fair Elections. I am listed as one of the speakers. I am giving you up to 17.00 hours to inform the nation.
I have another question, but it is not as searching as my visa curiosity. Here we go, Mr. Rohee. I have been told (and I could be wrong; my source is not mediocre but I will publicly apologize if I am not correct) that you are into business and may be an investor in a seawall venture. I don’t know if you are. Nothing is wrong with a Minister having business interests. Do you have such interests, Mr. Rohee?
I hope you know, Mr. Rohee, that I am merely doing my job as a media practitioner. I think you will agree that I have a readership and I have an obligation to them to interpret the news for them. This is what columnists do.
Let me move on to your reaction to Moses Nagamootoo. No politician can be that comical to say what you uttered about Mr. Nagamootoo. You are quoted in demerarawaves.com as describing Mr. Nagamootoo in the following way; “I am also saying that he doesn’t seem to have any principles, because a person with principles stays in the family.”
Are you serious, Mr. Rohee? Are you for real, Mr. Rohee? Don’t you know that you will appear comical to all those who read this particular fulmination of yours about Mr. Nagamootoo?
Which family are you talking about Mr. Rohee? Someone with intellectual reach should have warned you about the epistemological basis of words. I don’t think you should have used the word “family.” In the Guyanese political context, it has a foul meaning. As a matter of fact, in mainstream journalism, the word is often used to portray mafia connections.
It would have been better if you had said; “an organization he was a biological part of,” but surely not “family.”
Why do you think, Mr Rohee, that the Department of Justice in the US granted permanent stay to Captain Clarke who faced trial for cocaine trafficking?
Well, Mr. Rohee, it seems that you have no other option than to ask your boss (Hey, wasn’t he in napkins when you, Moses, Ralph Ramkarran and others were leading the PPP’s fight against Burnham’s dictatorship? How come, Mr. Jagdeo is now senior to you?), Mr. Jagdeo, to terminate the employment of Odinga Lumumba. He jumped from the PNC into Mr. Jagdeo’s lap. I guess Kwame Mc Coy has to go too. He jumped from the PNC into Mr. Jagdeo’s lap too. Manniram Prashad was also with the PNC.
So I guess you will have to get rid of Joseph Hamilton and Dr. Emmanuel Cummings because they were in the PNC. Before I go, Mr. Rohee, I would advise you not to say anything further during the election campaign. You are making the PPP look like a circus. I suppose you would say that Mr. Jagdeo is doing that more than you. Well, it’s two of you.