June 10 ,2021

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Dear Editor,

Why are they creating so much ballyhoo about Constitutional Reform, and why am I not particularly enthused? Why do I get the feeling that we are going to get shafted again for the third or fourth time, and again and again for several more times in the future? Because, frankly put, the Constitution Burnham built, and the Constitution they have repaired, and are now trying to dismantle and re-construct, have nothing to do with the people living under it, but only to enable the landlords “seize” power and shelter them and their buttressing bunch of frills indefinitely. That is why Guyanese people do not vote for individuals on the merit of those individuals, but they are forced to vote for a party that approximates most closely to, first and foremost, their ethnicity, and followed by social/economic status, ideology (or lack of it), class, and other corrupting criteria. (Incidentally, it was a similar system popularly used by Real Estate Agencies, in New York in cahoots with banks to submit/approve BUNDLES of mortgage applications, instead of single, individual applications, with each bundle deliberately hiding some very corrupted applications. …resulting in the near collapse of the US economy.)

I daresay, this aspect of the forthcoming Constitution – voting for a wholesale party instead of individuals on the merit of each of individual, will remain like marmite – untouched. Secondly, and even more importantly, they have signaled loud and clear how they intend to marginalize, de-nationalize, de-citizenize, illegalize and ostracize the diaspora. This is most troubling. Because a person cannot be stripped of his nationality and the rights of such nationality, not even if you shoot that person by firing squad or jettison him off into space.

Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to a nationality,” and “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality.”

Nationality must not stupidly be confused with citizenship. Besides, If the laws of the Nation of a certain National allows that National to hold multiple citizenships, then it is contradicting, absurd, impractical, immoral, discriminatory, and illegal of that Nation to deny that National of the rights afforded to any other National of that Nation. And the chief right of that National is to participate in the political affairs of his Nation, the most fundamental of that right being his right to vote.

Sadly, this right is going to be denied the diaspora simply because the parties are unable to conduct transparent absentee voting. So, they are going to violate the rights of more Guyanese living outside of Guyana than Guyanese living in Guyana because of their ignorance/inability. I hear the bells tolling. I can go on, I am that disgusted, but I quit here, not before reminding them that the diaspora does not consist of a static bunch of septuagenarians who will soon fade out into the sunset; on the contrary, it is a dynamic group, geometrically growing quantitatively and qualitatively every day. Think about that. Reminds me of a guy who was bullying my father and threatening to beat him up. My father told him, “Before you beat me, let me tell you, I got six sons, the oldest is thirty and the youngest is eighteen. Now go ahead and beat me.” The bully apologized and ran, carrying his tail tightly tucked behind him. Yu betta tek warnin.

Sincerely,

Gokarran Sukhdeo