Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 02, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon
Kaieteur News- Please see my column of Friday, June 26, 2020, titled – “Never in Guyana’s history has a diplomat been so personally insulted by a politician.” Here is an extract: “What Sherod Duncan did a few days ago, ought to result in immediate cancellation of his visa and those of the leadership of the AFC by every friendly country including our own CARICOM region. Mr. Duncan appearing on a public forum with Christopher Jones said something personally repugnant about the British High Commissioner that should never be uttered by a politician of the ruling party. A ruling politician just does not say those things about a diplomat that belongs to a country that is an extremely close ally. You cannot treat a diplomat like that who is a host in your country. Mr. Duncan is an executive member of the AFC and the ministerial spokesperson for Khemraj Ramjattan at Public Security.”
I did not see any outpouring of condemnation from the usual suspects. I didn’t see any letter from these so-called civil society groups. Visa matters are never discussed by embassies so we don’t know if Duncan will be denied a visa to travel to London or if he had one and it was cancelled after his odious remarks.
Please see my column of Tuesday, May 1, 2018 headlined, “The President’s semantics and section 18.” Sec 18 refers to the Cyber Crime Act of 2018 by the APNU government. Here is what section 18 says: “A person commits an offence of sedition if the person, whether in or out of Guyana, intentionally publishes, transmit or circulates by use of a computer system, a statement or words, either spoken or written, a text, video, image, sign, visible representation that brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government.”
This is a draconian legislation brought into life by a government I campaigned for and no doubt that campaign along with my columns helped it to secure votes that brought victory. I will continue to apologise to the people of Guyana for this terrible lapse of mine but how can one ever predict the future.
So, Mr. Duncan is being given solidarity by the usual suspects, civil society and the PNC and their surrogates on the arrest by the police for his trench crapo remark. But he was charged under an Act that was designed by the APNU+AFC to oppress people. He is being given solidarity when he should be ostracised for his attack in June 2020 on the then British High Commissioner.
Here is what Dr. Alissa Trotz wrote in the Stabroek News of January 27, 2020 about Clement Rohee: “We have Rohee entertaining PPP supporters with supposedly humorous remarks that are sexually degrading in order to score a few cheap points.” Note – Rohee subsequently apologised. Duncan used explicit sexual remarks in June 2020 but neither did Trotz condemn Duncan or Duncan apologised.
Trotz, who was quick to jump on Rohee, shares political collegiality with David Hinds through her membership in the WPA Overseas Associates and today remains silent on the black pudding remark of David Hinds. Hinds scolded African villagers for leaving their villagers to go to Mon Repos to buy black pudding from an Indian woman.
This was a pellucid statement pregnant with racial advocacy. Why buy from the Indian woman? The usual suspects chose not to chastise Hinds. I was once a student in Toronto, the city Trotz lives in. My wife and I bought black pudding from a white Eastern European restaurant. I didn’t care about the race of the shop owner. I wonder from whom Trotz buy her black pudding.
The trench crapo insult, the black pudding racial overtones brought no condemnation from the usual suspects. Then another trench remark was made. Rickford Burke said openly that unless somebody is run off the road into the trench the PPP will not stop doing what it is doing.
This is an open call to violence. David Hinds then interviewed Khemraj Ramjattan and asked him for his position on Burke’s frightening emanation. Ramjattan responded that it was Burke’s right to free speech. Poor Clement Rohee, he didn’t have the right to free speech. But Burke, Duncan and Hinds do.
Poor Charles Ramson! He too didn’t have the right to free speech. The reality is what Rohee uttered was unacceptable. What Ramson stated was definitely a mistake that had to be corrected. What Duncan said about the British High Commissioner should have brought about his banishment. What Hinds mouthed off about the black pudding lady was racially offensive. Burke’s remark was illegal. Over to the usual suspects.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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