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Kaieteur News
MILES - THE REVOLUTIONARY DEMOCRAT DEAR EDITOR, He abhorred labels, stereotyping and sycophancy. He didn’t mind belonging to a political party like the PPP but he was passionate about independence of thought, freedom to express one’s views and to openly criticize and disagree when it became necessary to do so. Freedom and Democracy, opposition to dictatorial rule in any shape or form, the right to a fair trial and, above all free and fair elections were all within his bailiwick. Miles Fitzpatrick was a straight and sharper shooter with language. That was his style. I witnessed his legal and political prowess at work on two eventful periods in our country’s political history. Those two events brought us together sometimes directly others indirectly.First, was at the time when he joined the Arnold Rampersaud Defense Committee. The committee comprised a battery of distinguished legal luminaries from home and abroad.I had the good fortune as a Freedom House ‘apparatchik’ at that time to sit in at meetings of the Defense Committee principally to listen and learn from a powerful legal team led by B.O. Adams. Miles was an integral part of that team whenever they sat down to strategize about arguments to be used for Arnold’s trial. Miles contribution assisted in no small way to the
teams eventual winning the case in court. My next encounter with Miles was before he joined the newly established Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) established through the instrumentality of the Carter Center with Rudy Collins as chairman. Our meetings took place while I served as the sole opposition representative on the then Elections Commission chaired by Sir Harold Bollers.Acting on the advice of Dr. Jagan, Miles and I would meet in caucus at the chambers of David DeCairies on King Street. Bud Mangal, Ayube McDoom and Ralph Ramkarran would join in those meetings in preparation for upcoming meetings of Elections Commission. It was during these meetings that, as far as I can recall, the best in Miles shone through not necessarily as a lawyer but more as revolutionary democrat who spoke out principally in favour free and fair elections.His approach was more realistic, never legalistic. Mangal, Fitzpatrick and Ramkarran who I call the ‘Magnificent Three’ became the new members of GECOM under the chairmanship of the newly established GECOM. GECOM has its first statutory meeting on June 18, 1991. Miles was at Freedom House on October 5, 1992 just around 3 pm on elections day. He had just made one of his regular election day’s rounds visiting polling stations in
Georgetown. An angry and violent crowd numbering about 500, suddenly descended on Robb street in front of Freedom House claiming that they had been disenfranchised and demanding the right to vote. The building was stoned and the windscreen of Miles’ car was partly damaged. The crowd was dispersed by the police. The ‘Magnificent Three’ constituted a formidable team. They worked in close cooperation with representatives of the Carter Center Mission, Mr. John Fleming Jones, the then US Ambassador to Guyana and other stakeholders including the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB), the Guyana Council of Churches and the human rights association (GHRA). Together with their impartial and level-headed Chairman and against tremendous odd, they delivered the first free and fair elections in Guyana after 28 years of elections that were deemed as ‘crooked as barbed wire’ Miles himself nor his valuable contributions to the establishment of democracy in general and free and fair elections in Guyana may not be known by the generation of Guyanese born after 1992 but those of us who had the pleasure and privilege to work with him will always cherish his love for law, freedom and democracy. RIP Miles! Clement James Rohee
Friday March 15, 2019
Guyana is the laughing stock of the world DEAR EDITOR, I read the most recent article of Fred Kissoon (March 14, 2019) and would like to make a comment. Obviously, his opinion of the TUC and its statement on the one seat majority is on point. However, it was not arrived at as a result of smoking a mind altering drug, but instead a mindset that all PNC thugs seem to possess. The TUC from Burnham’s time was an industrial/ labour arm of the PNC and so it towed the line of the party. I am not criticizing that exercise in democracy. Mr. Lewis however is no different so we must appreciate his fundamental allegiance. The Guyanese people are not fools. We all know. The difference is we are divided into these two camps depending on if we support right and wrong or we are ideological idiots. Who among us do not know that the one vote majority was correctly passed? A 5th grader should have
given the AFC a lesson in simple math. Who do not know that the PNC under the sheep’s clothing of APNU is dominating the conversation and AFC is/ has been absorbed by this amoebic bully and is not influential in any decision making. Who in their right mind do not recognize that this PNC NEVER wanted to relinquish power now or in the next 20 years? That they were ‘caught with their pants down’. Fact is they indicated it 2 days after saying that they would abide by the decision. Then they found or created all the excuses to avoid the constitutional mandates. They have been playing a political football with their excuses and posturing to run out the clock, they are in effect a party that is not embarrassed by anything. Their only ambition is to hold on to power and if anyone challenges it that they are a Judas. In essence, the TUC should have said to scrap the
constitution once the PNC is in power and to TRUST THEM. One question I have for them. What would they have done if the PPP or any other Government was holding the Presidency? All Guyanese and I know that answer! I would look into a crystal ball now. IF the PNC/APNU have their backs against the wall and they are forced to have a date, then the chairman of the Elections Commission will get a heart attack or worst and they will call for consultations with the opposition to find a new Chairman. This would at least “appear” democratic. The whole mess is a JOKE and Guyana is the laughing stock of the world. But then again, we have seen this in many other countries where heads of state hold on to power by any means necessary. It is so sad that this has had to befall our wonderful GUYANA. Respectfully, Mr. R Kissoon
Some crucial traffic lights are lives. the Ogle Airport Road, again, inoperable their There are other traffic does so at the risk of their life. lights on Sheriff Street that are DEAR EDITOR, For some time now, the traffic lights controlling the junction of the Rupert Craig Highway and Sheriff Street have not been working. This remains an extremely dangerous situation. Traffic travelling North on Sheriff Street and attempting to enter and cross the Rupert Craig Highway do so at the peril of
not working for some considerable time, for instance, at the crossing of Duncan and Sheriff Streets. There is also a traffic light, which controls the crossing of the Railway Embankment Road and Ogle Airport Road which is left permanently flashing. The result is that anyone attempting to cross the Railway Embankment Road and
The Ogle Airport Road is the main road with appreciable traffic to and from the Eugene F. Correia International Airport. At peak traffic hours in the morning and in the afternoon, this light should be turned on to full operation. I t ’s n o t e w o r t h y t h a t as a result of the repairs being carried out on Sheriff Street, the Police Traffic Department has placed officers at the Sheriff Street and crossing roads in the early morning hours, but only up to 9:00 a.m. Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento