Dear Editor,
I read Sherwood Lowe’s response to Dr Tara Singh, Ravi Dev, and others who have urged Aubrey Norton to reach and transcend new boundaries, thereby reaching out to all Guyanese in his fight with the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) for a better Guyana.
He is claiming that Norton’s fight against PPP is misunderstood, and that he is a leader of all the people.
Dr Lowe then tells his readers what Norton is fighting for and against. Let me make it clear: I feel that Norton has been one of the Leaders of the Opposition APNU+AFC that are most confused, perplexed, divisive and crass.
While Norton seeks to take the Opposition on a new path toward the Presidency, he is opening the old wounds of black discrimination from the 50s to the early 90s.
Sadly, Norton does not do a good job, as he does not feel that the public is entitled to know what evidence he has to support his claims. This is the meat of the matter for Guyanese who have not experienced this ethnic discrimination for themselves.
Where is the empirical evidence? Lowe seeks to pour cold water on this by mentioning the things he believes are ignored, instead of seeking to bring instances and evidence to the fore.
Using the Black Lives Matter campaign is disingenuous, because they have evidence of every black life that is lost. They know the details of how and what led to that. They know for a fact whether it is systemic racism and discrimination, or whether it is outright racism. They can point to a whole pile of cases that occurred over the years that are documented by authorities.
Norton still does not feel that he should have evidence, and makes wild and outrageous claims against the PPP.
So, it is a shame that Lowe, someone who prides himself on being an intellectual, would stoop so low as to come to Norton’s defence when he is drowning in his cesspool of discrimination banter. The public is informed and intelligent enough now to know when Norton is gaffing, politicking, and outrightly telling halfway truths.
Secondly, I believe Norton is a political racist. He appears to like the concept of ethnic superiority. He sees the PPP through a racist lens. After all, someone who is a racist never admits that they are racist.
I assume that every time he speaks, Norton does not believe in any multiethnic approach being an active part of opposition politics. Maybe he does on paper, but his actions certainly do not. For instance, bringing an Afro-Guyanese woman into his parliamentary circle who said that she is only going to give jobs to people who are PNC supporters, and by extension black supporters, can hardly be an example of this multiethnic approach.
Going only to black communities in and outside of Guyana again can hardly be an indication of Norton’s broad national and multiethnic approach to politics. See PNC/APNU+AFC Facebook page for more examples.
Thirdly, I have not the slightest inclination to defend the PPP’s wrong of corruption in office, but surely Lowe would have proven examples again of this corruption. Do not tell me of unproven accusations that were made against Bharrat Jagdeo and others. Where are the proven examples?
What did the Police state? Who was charged? Who was imprisoned? The entire nation is made much poorer as a people if you do not know or cannot say where the system to fight corruption is failing us.
Anyway, Norton should have at least fought against corruption from 2015 to 2020, but he chose to remain silent. I would have had more appreciation for the tales he tells now if I had heard him saying that it was wrong to use excessive funds to build the deteriorating Durban Park, and the funds were being siphoned off, but he did not. The $50 million used to pay for tickets for Buju Banton is wrong, but he chose to stay quiet.
Maybe Norton would care to seek the corruption charges from peers about the finances of Congress Place and the Office of the Leader of the Opposition?
In dealing with corruption or allegations made, Norton cannot afford to be selective and politically neglectful. Wrong is always wrong, and right is always right. Neither should be made to wear clothes or a political façade.
Lowe’s defence of Norton is nothing short of criminal, and is an affront to all who possess the skills of discernment and common sense. Finally, I believe Norton has to start practising what Congress Place wants us to think: that he is for all for Guyana and is inclusive. We know differently, but that is not the issue here.
At the end of the day, Norton has fought a good fight for his political supper, but if right-thinking Guyanese were to examine his policies, actions and words, they would get the unmistakable impression that he is divisive, perplexed, confrontational and racist.
His way of doing things and handling each political situation is misplaced from a geopolitical, ethnic and economic standpoint, but I do not expect the so-called intellectuals and schemers to tell him that to his face, much less here in the letter pages.
I am for “One Guyana”. I am supportive of strong and truthful politics, and do not pander to racial politics when it suits my aim.
Who is the real Leader of the Opposition? It can’t be Norton, from what I know at UG. Norton is too long in the game to be making these foolish and predictable mistakes again and again.
Yours truly,
Michael Younge
