May 18, 2017 Source
Dear Editor,
As a Guyanese youth I am both sickened and amused at the shameless duplicity of Bharrat Jagdeo and his hypocritical posturing of support for the decriminalising of marijuana.
This is to date his cheapest shot at attempting to gain political mileage. It is Alliance for Change’s member, Michael Carrington, who, in the proposed Narcotics Drug and PsychotropicSubstances (Control) (Amendment) Bill 2015, introduced to the National Assembly, whose thunder Jagdeo is attempting to steal.
It is commendable that Jagdeo would see value in anything coming from the Government’s side of the House. But, it is instructive to note that from 1993 when he became a Member of Parliament and especially from 1999 to 2011 when he served as President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Jagdeo not only was disinterested in the decriminalisation of marijuana, but gave every intention to make its use, sale and cultivation a criminal offence.
As recent as 2011, at the launch of Guyana’s activities to celebrate the United Nations-designated International Year of the People of African Descent, he told the gathering at the then International Conference Centre of mostly Rastafarians that the promise to legalise marijuana could not be assured. He clearly had no intention to decriminalisethe plant.
Now, faced with declining support and battling with the loss of trust of the PPP over wanton rape of the national coffers, Jagdeo is now reinventing himself as a supporter of a cause of the youth and also large portions of Guyanese of African descent, like for instance Rastafarians.
But it is Jagdeo who presided over the Ronald Gajraj/Roger Khan episode of extermination of more than 400 Guyanese young men, most of whom were of African descent.
Where was this sentiment for our youth when Yohance Douglas and Shaka Blake were murdered at the hands of the police? Jagdeo’s expression is nothing but empty, noisy klaxon fishing for sympathy and votes.
Again on July 9th, 2011, Jagdeo could be quoted saying that he thinks the “marijuana business” would “outlive his presidency” and that there will be “no change in the law whilst I am here”. Truth be told, Jagdeo was never concerned that “somebody has a tiny bit of cigarette, one marijuana cigarette and they get sentenced to three years”. The youths of Guyana are not easily fooled by Jagdeo’s attempt to steal the lime light from Carrington and the AFC.
Cynthia Rutherford
President, Youths for Change
Alliance for Change
