Reply to Freddie Kissoon

Oct 13, 2019 Letters

Dear Editor:

In his most recent column in the Kaieteur News (October 12, 2019), my friend Freddie Kissoon repeated a criticism of the WPA he made a couple of weeks ago. He takes issue with the WPA’s observation that the current Coalition government is the first one in post-colonial Guyana that has not harassed, jailed or assassinated political opponents.
As a WPA leader who has repeated that observation, I am drawn to respond to Kissoon.
In his earlier column, Freddie observed that that also obtained under the Cheddi Jagan presidency. He went on speculate whether the WPA’s omission was not driven by subtle racism. In his recent column, he accuses the WPA of spreading a false narrative. I assume that he is in the process accusing me of racism and spreading a false narrative.
The WPA sticks by its observation. It is a matter of classification. WPA is talking about governments while Freddie is talking about presidencies.
There is a difference. Guyana has had three governments since independence—PNC (1964-92), PPP (1992-2015) and APNU+AFC (2015-2019). There were two presidencies under the PNC government, five under the PPP and one under the Coalition.
Freddie is, therefore, imposing his classification on the WPA’s observation to aid his vilification of the party—you shouldn’t do that.
And by the way, Freddie, using your classification, there were no assassination, harassment and jailing of opponents under the Sam Hinds’ presidency. You omitted that one—is it racism that drove that omission? I don’t think so, because I know you are not a racist.

David Hind

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