Dear Editor,
As a member of the public who weekly attends meetings of the Guyana Reparations Committee, I am very concerned with the public manipulation of the bi-monthly Reparations Now TVA Program which has been in existence for over 7 years. This show is usually slated for the second and fourth Sundays every month. Since last year, when the show was prevented from being shown live after Jonathan Adams suggested the Guyana Government should do more for Haiti, there seems to be continuing censorship of the Program.
Of late, and especially over the last 2 years, the show is manipulated whenever the Government feels. The show normally comes on at 8:30 pm immediately after the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha TV show which begins at 7:30. Whenever there is a holiday, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Show keeps its time slot, and the Reparations Now TV show is either not shown or shown at an hour when the audience is going to bed. More recently, last week, the Reparations Now TV show was not shown. Instead, a Bollywood Show followed by a movie aired almost every day about an African American football player who lived with a white family was shown.
Many times, Editor, although the Guyana Reparations Committee pays for the show to be shown nationwide, people in both Berbice and Linden and Essequibo complain that the show is either not shown, or shown at an erratic time. Editor, there seems to be a full-court press by the Government to silence the voice of African Guyanese. The shameful representation by Neaz Subhan, at the recent Geneva Permanent Forum for People of African Descent, is also part of this silencing of African voices. You can also see this in the very ugly 1823 coin that was minted without the consultation of African organizations.
Finally, Editor, I have heard it said that Indians can speak on behalf of Africans because Guyana is a plural society. This is the height of political and racial folly as only a few months ago, in Geneva, there was an event for Indigenous People and 5 Indigenous persons attended and spoke on behalf of their culture. Neaz didn’t attend so the only conclusion is that he was sent there to counter IDPADA-G’s comments in Geneva and what a global shame that was.
The PPP needs to understand that the entire Caribbean is watching their behaviour. It is also very hypocritical for President Ali to speak about helping Haitians when Guyana has all but banned them from being here but we have a large number of Venezuelans who are not citizens of CARICOM. I guess, he also speaks for them. Thank you
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Provided)