Statement by Hon. Gail Teixeira M.P. – Burke one-man-organisation continues to spread racist propaganda

The Government of Guyana has been managing the affairs of government transparently and inclusively since its assumption of office on August 2, 2020, following a devastating five-month delay caused by the former APNU+AFC Coalition government and senior GECOM officials repeatedly attempting to thwart the will of the Guyanese electorate and prevent the declaration of the legitimate government of Guyana. One remembers this was also during the height of the COVID-19 2020 pandemic. Their thirst for power was naked and palpable.

In contrast, the records would show that any PPP/C government has brought economic and social development and lifted Guyana from being one of the poorest countries in this hemisphere to one of the fastest growing economies. This is accompanied with people-centered policies and programmes targeting the poor and vulnerable, and constitutional and parliamentary reform to strengthen this new born democracy and its institutions after the first free and fair election in October 1992.

Unfortunately, a few local officials in the USA who rely on the electorate of Brooklyn appear to have fallen prey to the racist propaganda of extortionists and con-men.

The Guyanese Diaspora Townhall Meeting on October 30, 2022, was another Rickford Burke one-man-organization orchestrated event to rehabilitate his discredited image, after his attempt to extort $200M from a Guyanese businessman became public. The attendees were the hard core APNU supporters and a few local elected leaders.

It was extraordinary that any of these local elected leaders would attend such a racist forum organized by people who were silently or openly supportive when:

1.   the APNU/AFC Coalition conspiring with senior officials of GECOM repeatedly to delay the General and Regional elections. This went on for fourteen months following their loss of government to a no confidence motion on December 18, 2018;

2.   President Granger and his Cabinet had the highest number of court rulings in the CARICOM on constitutional violations; this was a government abusing the constitution with executive lawlessness;

3.   the APNU/AFC government conspired with senior officials in the Guyana Elections Commission to remain in office although they had lost the elections;

4. 7,000 sugar workers, majority Indo-Guyanese, 1,972 Indigenous/Amerindian Community Services Officers and 2,000 public servants, who were majority one ethnic group and/or considered “politically incorrect” by their administration were terminated;

5.   the APNU+AFC government discriminated against communities that did not vote for them during their five-years tenure of office;

6.   the  APNU/AFC  Government  Ministers  brazenly  dispensed  with  Guyana’s  assets through blatant acts of corruption; and when

7.    the ANPU/AFC Government attempted to steal the oil revenues of Guyana.

Thankfully the Guyanese electorate will always be grateful to American elected officials who openly and boldly stood up for the rights of the citizens of Guyana to elect a government of their choice and defended the declaration of the legitimate PPP/C government consistently for five months until the August 2, 2020, swearing-in of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

The United Nations, the Commonwealth, the European Union, the Organization of American states, the Caribbean Community, and a hundred countries individually stood with Guyana in those treacherous months waiting for the declaration of results which everyone knew since March 6, 2020. Further, the Caribbean Court of Justice, Guyana’s apex court, upheld the Constitution of Guyana repeatedly over the period of 2019 to 2020. These are facts which no one can deny.

A cursory check will show that Rickford Burke is facing several charges including a $200 million dollars attempt at cybercrime extortion of a Guyanese businessman and a sexual assault case in the USA; whilst former Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe has been charged with sexual assault of a woman in Guyana. Notably, not one of these charges refer to racial or political discrimination.

Paul Slowe was suspended as Chairman of the Police Service Commission because he refused to appoint senior police officers recommended by the then Commissioner of Police acting, ninety percent of whom were Afro-Guyanese. Why didn’t these local elected officials call-out Slowe for holding back the upward mobility of many of his fellow Afro-Guyanese senior officers in the Guyana Police Force?

It is rather uncharacteristic of these local elected officials to reject hearing both sides; a few have been formally and informally invited by the Government to examine the facts but have instead rebuffed these overtures.

However, assuming they have no wish to meet with the elected representatives of the Guyanese people, they are capable and competent with staff that can do their own fact checking just by following the media (the majority of which is privately owned in Guyana), government websites, reports of international organisations such as the World Bank, IMF and IDB, statements by members of the Diplomatic Corps, and records of Guyana’s judiciary.

This Government is not afraid of the facts. We are managing our country effectively, and doing so transparently. Noteworthy, the ethnic composition of the three branches of government – the executive, legislature, and judiciary – demonstrate a level of ethnic diversity not seen in the USA or other developed countries, even though we are a country of minorities.

One of the speakers at the meeting tellingly asked “Why don’t we see our fellow Guyanese at peaceful protests in NY?”. The reason is, Guyanese in New York, in Guyana and around the world know that Guyana is moving forward rapidly as never before, in a progressive and transformative direction including all people regardless of race, class, geography, gender, religion or any other characteristic under the “One Guyana” vision. Guyanese recognize the “Burkes” and their types well and undoubtedly know that they are anti-progress, divisive and living in a time warp that the electorate put to bed on March 2, 2020.

Unfortunately, these goodly local elected officials haven’t got the memo yet.