Letter to the Editor
Guyana Institute for Democracy responds to Stabroek Newspapers
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Dear Editor
In the April 13, 2004, edition of the Stabroek Newspapers, Mr. Rakesh
Rampertab, the reputed editor of the website: Guyanaundersiege.com, published
a letter titled "The Guyana Institute for Democracy has made false accusations
against my website." I therefore wish to respond as follows.
1. GID is an independent, non-partisan organization with no political
affiliation. Whenever we criticize the government of Guyana, it is because the
government is deserving of condemnation. We in GID are not surprised that
people like Rakesh Rampertab are incensed by our ability to evoke
international attention to the social decay, pugnacious racism and criminal
conduct of government officials in Guyana. GID will continue to pursue its
agenda to promote democracy, good governance, social justice and human rights
in Guyana and the Caribbean Region, and will continue to do so independently.
2. Extremists in Guyana's political society
have perennially resorted to vile threats and nefarious machinations to
silence those who expose transgressions. However the tactic of intimidation is
obsolete. Civilized people engage in the exchange of ideas. Individuals with
intellectual inadequacies who cannot compete in the realm of ideas often
resort to coercive, Stalinist ploys to impose their viewpoint. Rakesh
Rampertab is no different. 3. Rakesh
Rampertab seems to be imbued with a misplaced sense of aplomb that he
possesses the sole franchise on free speech and strategic thinking. He wants
to monopolize the entire political and economic space in the country with his
point of view which advocates ethnic dominance. The marginalizing of hundreds
of thousands of citizens is deemed to be justifiable. He apparently thinks
that only those who support Indian nationalism have the single right to lobby
the international community on matters related to Guyana. He promotes a
revisionist agenda calculated to rewrite history and relegate certain citizens
to second-class status.
4. There is a rude awakening coming. Racists
must not be allowed to export their bigotry. We must do all that we can to
disrupt such conduct. Ours is a generation of Guyanese that is intolerant of
fascism. We are intolerant of the philosophy that promotes the political and
economic supremacy of either of the two major races. Most important, we cannot
be intimidated. Armed with the knowledge of history, we will think
preemptively and make our views known everywhere.
5. Ironically, Rakesh Rampertab said in his letter that his only concern was
that Mr. Sharif Henry (of GID) wrongfully accused his web site of being racist
and designated to exterminating Africans in Guyana," and claimed that Pooran
Anandjit, the purported author of a letter which attempted to besmirch GID,
has an association with his website. Rampertab claims to "know of no such
person, and "Unless GID can prove a connection between my site and this
Anandjit figure, I expect a public retraction of its claim. (Also, if Mr.
Henry-GID's ridiculous letter has not been pulled from its Media Center as
yet, they should do it soon.)"
6. If indeed Rampertab's only concern was
with his website's characterization as "racist" and its "connection to Pooran
Anandjit," how relevant are the other comments in his letter? How relevant is
it whether GID is a PNC organization or not? How relevant is my letter to
President Bush on the Mark Benschop case? How relevant is GID's portrayal of
Guyanese history? What is the relevance and bases for an inquiry into GID's
opinion? What is the relevance of his thought about how GID projects itself?
What is the relevance of GID's relationship with "Black New York City
politicians"? Note that he casually referred to them as "black" rather than
African-Americans! Why is he concerned about GID's meeting at the US State
Department? "
7. Rampertab goes on to poison the discourse
with a veiled threat to wit, "To avoid the trouble of me having to do a
write-up to relevant legal and consumer affairs authorities, as well as many
of GID's friends, GID needs to do the right thing to rectify its soiled
image." I am sickened by the propensity of people like Rakesh Rampertab who,
whenever African-Guyanese express an opinion, issue threats and call for
inquiries. Let us then begin with an inquiry into the death squad that has
murdered hundreds of African Guyanese. Let's have an investigation into the
alleged criminal conduct of Minster Ronald Gajraj. Let's investigate the
issuance of gun licenses to criminals and murderers and the alleged sale of
such licenses by government officials. Let's begin with an inquiry into
uncontrolled corruption at the highest levels of the government.
8. Let's commission an inquiry into drug
smuggling by high officials. Let's inquire into who has inspired the crime
wave on the east coast. Let's launch an inquiry into websites that promote
xenophobia, peddle bigotry, export racism, incite racial hatred and attempt to
portray an entire race as criminals. Rakesh Rampertab is therefore no unbiased
observer. He is a partisan who promotes Indian nationalism. His website is
saturated with racial hate and is designed to depict Africans as criminals. He
is an apologist for Indian extremism in Guyana.
9. How dare Mr. Rampertab tell GID what must
be posted or not be posted on its website? How dare he tell us to remove
Sharif Henry's letter from our website? What pomposity and gumption has
possessed this man? Rakesh Rampertab must keep within his bounds and take his
gangsterism elsewhere. He cannot browbeat GID and thus should not pick a fight
that he will not win. No one should be mistaken. GID has the capacity to write
letters and launch campaigns as well, and is prepared to do combat.
10. Rakesh Rampertab's reasoning on the
Pooran Annandjit issue is vacuous. Prior to the Pooran Annanjit character
disseminating his letter about GID on the internet, the said Mr. Annandjit
circulated a racist article that emanated from Mr. Rampertab's website. The
article described African Guyanese as criminals who were conducting an armed
struggle against Indians and the government. It portrayed African Guyanese as
attacking Indians for financial gains and said that Indian women were being
sexually assaulted by "black men." GID's position is that if any such crimes
occurred, then the perpetrators must be ruthlessly hunted and brought to swift
justice. The article did not cite any police statistics or reports on such
crimes.
11. Sharif Henry correctly cited the
association between Pooran Annanjit and Guyanaundersiege.com. It is for Mr.
Rampertab to determine who his associates are, who associates with the views
expressed on his website or who associates with the agenda he pursues and who
disseminates his propaganda. Regardless of his hollow disclaimer, it is GID's
judgment that his website has exceptionally racist content. GID therefore
scornfully rejects Rampertab's attempts to tell us how to exercise our First
Amendment Right to free speech under the United States constitution, and
neither can he tell us how to shape our opinions.
12. I am undaunted by Mr. Rampertab's
contention that articles about "Africans subjects and writings by (or about) a
list of people of African descent" exist on his website. Sharif Henry's
comments reflect the views of GID. Rakesh Rampertab must understand clearly
that neither I nor anyone else in GID is intimidated by his threat to declare
war against GID. GID is made up of a group of sound, capable, modern thinking
professionals who are on the cutting edge of many issues of the twenty-first
century. We fully understand the right of response and are prepared to
forcefully exercise that right at anytime.
13. Let me also advise Rakesh Rampertab that GID is also a legal entity
registered under the laws of the United States and enjoys the same
constitutional protections as any other entity duly incorporated under such
laws. We will therefore continue to exercise our rights, without fear or
hindrance, under the extant laws upon which the Institute is chartered.
Rickford Burke
President
Guyana Institute For Democracy
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