The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is clearing its pathway to full fledged dictatorship, and this should be a concern to all Guyanese. Dictatorship only bodes well for the dictators. Never for the citizens who must endure repression and violations of law and human rights. Issues such as free speech and the right to have a view dissimilar to that of the government are denied. Those who resist and are brave enough to persist in public and even some private expressions and actions to highlight governments’ wrongdoing and hold them accountable, usually find themselves not only ostracised by the government but eliminated from society.
Rickford Burke, a conscious Guyanese American citizen, is known for his political association under the Desmond Hoyte government and in the United States (U.S). He speaks primarily to Guyanese issues and the wider Caribbean and as a consequence has found himself under constant surveillance by the PPP regime as he holds them accountable. Burke has attracted the wrath of Bharrat Jagdeo, a vengeful and dangerous politician, whose regime was associated with death squads that left hundreds of Guyanese dead. Many are still not accounted for todate. On his watch Guyana was known as a highly corrupt narco-militarised state.
Under Jagdeo and continuing under the Irfaan Ali/Jagdeo regime the tactic embraced is either to silence or criminalize those perceived to be opponents or sympathetic to the opposition. Case in point are Colvin Heath-London, staff of the Guyana Elections Commission during the last National elections; former ministers of government, businesses and individuals perceived to have Opposition sympathies or association. We must note the murder of activist/journalist Ronald Waddell, and private citizen Courtney Crum-Ewing whose only sin was the use of a loudhailer on a daily basis, picketing the PPP government.
Another journalist and social activist Mark Benschop was wrongly criminalized and spent five years of his youthful life incarcerated in solitary confinement as an example to others. In the same way political activist Rickford Burke now joins the list of who the PPP is prepared to extinguish through criminalization charges that will sully their names and reputation through media hype and PPP propaganda. The method employed is to accuse and don’t charge or charge with no intention to try or try but drop the case after doing damage to the individual’s character.
The attack on Burke is no surprise for those with keen and watchful eyes. Burke and his organisation, CGID, has taken on the role to expose the Ali/Jagdeo regime to various United States government groupings. Most recently he held a high-profile conference on Guyana in the U.S dealing with issues of poor governance, discrimination and so forth. The PPP clearly cannot be comfortable with the attention Burke is attracting, locally, regionally and most importantly in the U.S.A where he is well connected. This connection bothers the PPP deeply and they will stop at anything to dismantle it.
Bharrat Jagdeo in particular is deeply perturbed with the freedom which Guyanese in the diaspora enjoy to express their opinions and create influence. As a result, he has turned to the Cyber Crime Act to criminalise persons even in foreign countries for daring to hold the government accountable.
Intimes past one media columnist was under attack and reportedly had what he described as a “miasmic mess” thrown in his face. This nation must never forget the grenade attack on Kaieteur News. In recent times owner Glenn Lall with his personal activism is attracting the wrath of Jagdeo. Other measures such as denying advertising dollars have also been used. It is against this backdrop that I address the concerns for the government actions toward our social media activists, our regular media sources who seek to operate in a free space and those in the diaspora, in particular Rickford Burke who is the current primary target. We must not be afraid to to call it as we see it. That is, an attempted effort to have him isolated from his U.S high-ranking political association.
In the eyes of Bharrat Jagdeo, judging from his track record and recent press conference addressing Burke, anyone could not help but recognise the venomous passion seen in him. There is all reason to believe the work of Burke and others in the diaspora is seriously hurting the Ali/Jagdeo regime. Burke’s safety and security is of serious concern. One can put nothing beyond the PPP, in particular its General Secretary best known for heading a government associated with death squads. I put nothing past him, neither should Burke and US authorities.
In a recent release, Burke via Benschop Radio debunked the claims made by the PPP that he lied about being served. Benschop reports validating the claim made by Burke.
I encourage all Guyanese to stand prepared to hold Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP government accountable for Burke’s safety and that of our independent media operatives in and out of Guyana.Be they on traditional media or social media.
