Encomium for Glenn Lall in combating theft

Dear Editor,

I commend publisher Glenn Lall for his consistent and determined effort to combat all kinds of fraud – stealing of forest resources, oil, land, ballots, money, people, buildings, state corporations, among others. Some politicians worked in cahoots with crooked business people to defraud the state in exchange for kickbacks – a common occurrence among politicians, which Lall’s media house has consistently opposed. In addition to fighting against electoral banditry, Lall has filed a private citizen charge against ‘tiefing’ of our precious land resource that has been happening at unchecked pace since December 2018.

He has displayed a rare courage among Guyanese to publicly take on those engaged in fraud and wrongdoing. I have not seen such courage since the struggle for free and fair elections during the dictatorship. He and others who championed democracy and fought against corruption deserve accolades. The work of others in championing democracy and combating corruption going back to the mid-1960s should be recognized. Ironically, July is a historic month as it is the anniversary of several electoral banditries.

Lall’s courageous stance reminds me of those brave individuals involved in that noble struggle since 1966 to combat electoral fraud and stealing of state resources (including money). Few have demonstrated their indomitable spirit to take on riggers and barefaced thieves. May I salute those valiant warriors who combated fraud in a long arduous struggle that restored free and fair elections in 1992. Readers need to be reminded of some frauds and efforts to combat them.

July 10/11 is the anniversary of the 1978 theft (rigging) of the referendum that changed the democratic (British imposed, referred to as the white man’s) constitution with a head of state to oversee the actions of the head of government. Burnham was opposed to oversight and restricted powers. He created his own constitution removing checks and balances and creating an all powerful presidency, giving himself that title from 1980 till death in August 1985. Desmond Hoyte and all successors have retained that sham constitution of a powerful president with unlimited powers. That constitution that grants monstrous powers to a President is primarily responsible for the problems we face today with yet another rigging, ‘tiefing’ of land and oil money, among other jhanjat (worries).

Had the country reverted back to the 1966 independence constitution, as promised by those who combated electoral fraud, much of the current day problems and the need for the valiant actions of Lall and others would not have been warranted. The independence constitution restricts powers of the executive, allows for a (Governor General as head of state appointed by the British Crown) and a separate executive (Prime Minister), empowers an independent credible court (that would never say 33 is not a majority of 65) to address legal grievances, creates a professional bureaucracy and police, ensures separation of powers, militates against racism, among other real benefits of the nation. So many fought for the restoration of democracy that occurred in 1992 and were promised that the Burnham constitution would be abolished. Forty years later, we wait with bated breath. We must not forget the contributions of those who battled and are still fighting against that constitution. They were/are all heroes though their work was never recognized by beneficiaries.

I also recall those (as I also was a participant rounding up voters) who waged war against the December 1968 fraud, which manufactured the two-thirds majority to amend the independence constitution removing the Privy Council as final court of appeal and replacing the British appointed Governor General with a titular President. This period saw the introduction of the ban on (imperialist) imports including religious items. Then came the July 17, 1973 election rigging that further empowered Burnham to take over almost all private businesses, schools, means of transportation, banks, etc.

I remember joining protests on the Corentyne and being confronted by gun toting security forces. I saw ballots strewn among cane and rice fields and along the coastline of the Atlantic in Port Mourant. Soldiers dumped legitimate ballots marked for PPP or Liberator Party, replacing them with fraudulent votes for the PNC. On election day and for several days, I was in the protest with elders on the road top observing armoured vehicles rolling on the Corentyne intimidating and threatening people. The soldiers directed their guns on the protesters. It was that election day that soldiers martyred three freedom fighters in Skeldon.

Five years later, I ‘skulled’ college joining the protest in front of the Guyana Consulate in New York on 38 Street, 2nd Ave against the July 10, 1978 rigged referendum. I was on the picket line again in December 1980 and December 1985 to protest rigged elections. (I was also in similar protests in front of the CG for several days when Walter Rodney was assassinated by Burnham).

And now we come to the attempted ‘tiefing’ of the 2020 elections by Mingo and Lowenfield. The independent media is with the nation combating electoral fraud and exposing stealing of land. Those being involved in land grab must be brought to book. Thank you Glenn Lall for taking on this battle. Your name will be recorded in the history books for standing up to corruption and electoral fraud.

Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram