The arrest of Sherod Duncan on the nonsensical accusation of calling somebody a Jagabat and Trench Crappo is at first glance laughable. But this is Guyana where “all skin teeth nah laugh.” This is a serious development. The government is making good on its promise to jail Duncan and the other Facebook Talk Show hosts. A few weeks ago, it was Rickford Burke, now it’s Duncan and tomorrow it would be Mark or Kidackie or Gavin or this columnist. Why do they fear these shows? Well, we hit them where it matters. We speak to people who they want to keep in the dark and ultimately subjugate. We expose that which the want to keep in the dark. We analyze and put in perspective what is not so obvious. We remove the scales from people’s eyes. We strengthen our people. We give them a platform to express their frustrations and their viewpoints. We empower people. We feed off our people’s energy and wisdom.
So, we must be jailed for doing God’s work, for doing the unfinished work of our ancestors, for being of service to the oppressed and the downpressed. For, me it really does not matter what they think. I do now what I have always done—give government hell. I gave the Coalition government which I supported and voted for plenty hell and the PPP loved me then. I was the darling of PPP supporters—the Rodneyite non-racial person. But now when its their turn to take their licks, they want to jail me. But as Martin Carter wrote: Jail me quickly/Clang the Illiterate Iron door/If freedom writes no happier alphabet.
Guyanese have to learn some hard lessons. First, we have to learn that the PPP is a dangerous customer. They don’t see us as political opponents. They see those who don’t support them as historical enemies. We are beneath them. We must be patronized at best. They boast how they come into our communities and our children smile at them. They come bearing little hampers and expect us to be grateful. There is a difference between philanthropy and politicking. And because Sherod Duncan calls them out, they jail him. They Jail him, because the did not heed the advice of our friend Dr. Ralph Gonzales—Take your licks like a man.
Second, those who control the police force have no shame. They run quickly to arrest Duncan when the masters gave them the call. But it took them five months to bring a charge against the alleged killer of Orin Boston. And instead of charging the alleged shooter for murder, the go for the lesser charge of manslaughter. Where is the fair play? Where is the respect for Boston’s family? Why is the police hierarchy so willing to be water-boys for the PPP? No dignity? Is this what our foreparents broke the chains of bondage for? No wonder the people say we don’t have role models.
Third, the PPP is hypocritical—the practice what they condemn. Back in time, the PPP used to hammer the PNC for Paramountcy of the Party whereby the party was superior to the government. So, when the people of West Berbice who applied to the Ministry of Agriculture for Flood Relief were told to collect their cheques at the PPP office (Freedom House) at Bath Settlement, what is that? Isn’t that Paramountcy of the Party? Or when the very Ministry introduced an advertisement with a Hindi version of a song, isn’t that Paramountcy?
The PPP has shown its true colors. It does not care who says what, when or how. It is bent on dominating Guyana. It doesn’t even care what its friends who helped the party to power say. Not even the Americans. Not the OAS and the Commonwealth. And of CARICOM, the less said the better. The PPP would poke their fingers in CARICOM eyes at every twist and tur. They never liked CARICOM and never will. Integrating with “those” people was never their thing.
