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FM
Former Member

Inequality of Africans in Guyana is because they have not been given justice while all others groups have

 

Dear Editor,

M. Maxwell `Land reparation for African Guyanese is impractical’, SN April 12th, 2016, knows very well what he is doing and whose interests he is promoting.

He is indifferent to the genocide of 450,000 African lives to build Guyana.

He is totally indifferent to the 200 years of enslavement in what the UN describes as a “crime against humanity”.

These figures are clearly grounds for reparatory justice.

Maxwell is unrepentant in his quest to deny Africans reparatory justice through land or equal access to government procurement which has been another area of discrimination practised by the last government.

The inequality of Africans in Guyana is because they have not been given justice. But all others groups have.

Much has been revealed over the last few months of the ethnically driven policies and practices of the Jagdeo/Ramotar regimes.  Indeed, history will in the future record the period of their reign as the greatest transfer of state assets to an ethnic group in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Government procurement represents approximately 15% of GDP and is vital to business growth and wealth creation. The major beneficiaries of government procurement in Guyana have built up significant sustainable advantages because of corruption. The leading recipients of government procurement contracts were never industry leaders or competitive in the private sector. The PPP administration used state largesse to create private sector industry Titans.  The blatant discriminatory practices of the PPP era left very few African businesses positioned to participate in the economy, particularly in qualifying and competing for Government procurement opportunities.

Maxwell now has a new guise. He argues, quite unconvincingly that the justifiable claim for land by Africans in Guyana will undermine CARICOM’s claims from Europe. It shows how little he knows or understands about the CARICOM Reparations Movement which is now a global movement. The UN Human Rights Commission recently called for reparations in the USA. Bernie Sanders just did a few days ago.

One of the TORs from CARICOM is “Linking past discrimination to today’s inequality”. The Guyana Reparations Committee found 15 reasons and all were driven by the State. Here are the reasons why Africans are unequal in Guyana.

  1. The criminal enslavement of Africans in Guyana from the 1600s to 1838. Dutch and British Governments passed laws to legitimize and institutionalize slavery which the UN has defined as a “crime against humanity”.
  2. The complete denial of the human rights of Africans for over 200 years during enslavement.
  3. The purposeful creation of the institution of racism to justify slavery. This is one of the greatest negative legacies of slavery. Racism was systematically created by Western philosophers, clergymen and scientists to give credence to their criminal enrichment.
  4. The annihilation of African culture as a complementary and historical strategy to slavery.
  5. The creation of African Guyanese pauperism through free forced slave labour for over 200 years.
  6. The British Government’s denial of justice and reparations to freed Africans in 1838 while empowering the 2,761 British owners in Guyana through a reparation payment of £4. 281 million of the £20 million awarded to 46,000 British slave owners. Freed Africans in Guyana therefore accounted for 21.8% of the total compensation to all British slave owners. Incidentally, this sum paid for free Africans in Guyana, in today’s value, multiplying by the objective factor of 839, amounts to £3.59 billion.
  7. The refusal to pay freed Africans fair wages after Emancipation and hence destroying their ability for generational wealth creation.
  8. The importation of indentured servants to break the economic backs of freed Africans. Had there not been indentureship, Guyana at Independence would have been owned by Africans and Amerindians and the existing racial economy of today, which gives preferential treatment to Indians, would not have materialized.
  9. An unrelenting attack on the Village Movement by the British Crown (Government) to destroy African Guyanese wealth.
  10. The granting of free lands to Indentured Indians in Guyana and not granting any to freed Africans who had worked free for over 200 years. This “land” wealth gap and the multiplier effect still exists today.
  11. The purposeful financing and nurturing of Indentured Indians into the rice industry.
  12. The forcing of Africans by the British Crown to sell their produce at low prices to the Portuguese who would then re-sell to the British at great profit. Portuguese merchants, who were financially helped by Madeira and the British crown, were granted licences to operate in African Villages, when Africans were not.
  13. The splitting of Africa among European powers in 1885 at the Berlin Conference and the subsequent Colonisation of Africa for more than 100 years. Unlike Indians and the Chinese who can easily network with India and China, there are no historically intact relationships or processes for Africans in Guyana to obtain products, finance, trading arrangements and business networks from Africa.
  14. The British and Guyanese governments did not offer lands to Africans at Independence but promoted and ensured Amerindians received lands. Today, Amerindians in Guyana own 13.8% of Guyana’s land mass regardless of the fact, the, Wapishana, Macushis and the Wai Wais were not in Guyana during enslavement and only came here from Venezuela and Brazil in the 17th and 18th century. This is a gross injustice.

The State therefore owes Africans lands as a form of reparatory justice.

We in the African community are not surprised by Maxwell’s views of Africans. We are also not surprised that Stabroek News has not published his name.

We in the African community see this as an attack by Stabroek News on our community.  Both seem to want Africans in perpetual inequality.

Maxwell should know that Africans can boycott many things in Guyana especially those inimical to our economic lives.

Yours faithfully,

Eric Phillips

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Why doesn't Eric Phillips examine what the present gov't is doing to poor Africans?

Max has his agenda, to be sure.  He most likely being one of those mixed types who deeply hate the African side of their heritage, but Eric needs to admit that the issue of Africans, and the GUYANA state, is more complex than he admits.  In addition it cannot accept culpability for acts of colonial entities.  Guyana, as a state, didn't exist before 1966.

Does Nigel Hughes, as an example, deserve reparations from the Guyana state?  Guyana has had an African middle class since the late 19th C.  Hughes descending from this segment.  Eric mustn't confuse Guyana, with a country like Colombia, where even now a sizeable black middle class is all but absent.

Sure Africans under went severe exclusion under the PPP (as did Indians under the Burnham era PNC).  But just as sure the African political elites during the PNC era had no interest in empowering the African masses.  I am not sure whether this has changed under APNU rule, when we see black farmers being evicted from state lands.

The issue of reparatory justice from the Europeans is a different topic, and shouldn't be conflated with that of reparation from the GUYANA state.

FM
Drugb posted:

caribj it looks like you change your tune. Before in pop time you were arguing differently.

Sorry drugb, its your incessant racism and hatred of blacks which led you to misinterpret what I said then.

It still stands.

1.  Africans suffered extreme racism at the hands of the PPP, and Indo elites during the 23 years of PPP rule.

2.  Attempts at economic empowerment by the former slaves was undermined by the use of indentures by the planter elites.  Both those who worked on the sugar estates, and others who became competitors to the African farmers and traders, when they were encouraged to import cheap foodstuff, and allowed greater access to credit.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Drugb posted:

Now that your pnc in power you don't want them to pay out reparations but back in pop time you claimed that they should pay.

What's that POP you keep mentioning deh Druggie? Is this the Peoples Offensive Party you talkin bout?

cain
Drugb posted:

Now that your pnc in power you don't want them to pay out reparations but back in pop time you claimed that they should pay.

Did you ever see any claims from me about reparations?

No you in your racist head, addled with the substances which lead you to call yourself "drugb," concocted a demand for reparations.

Brown bai KKK a demand that Africans be hired on merit isn't a demand for reparations.  In fact I was also quite clear that even affirmative action was not necessary.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

Carib

I have been following the debate with you and Stormy...

Here are some questions I have....would appreciate your enlightenment.

1. What exactly in your view constitute reparations (money, land)?

2. Are Africans arguing that reparations should come from Europeans, as well as the Guyana govt also?

3. Do Indians owe reparations to Africans? I so, why?

Thank you.

V

 What land when you can't even fence one lil yard 50 x 100 and plant. And then it will be like Rosinante when the only productive farmer was the lone Indo who the Kabaka praised and cuss dem lazy Afro and the Indo said "Sah dem ah even tief meh praduce" or like Naamryck wen dem sold all the Kabaka give dem  to the Indos from Leguan. And the MMA and should I go on.

R
VishMahabir posted:

Carib

I have been following the debate with you and Stormy...

Here are some questions I have....would appreciate your enlightenment.

1. What exactly in your view constitute reparations (money, land)?

2. Are Africans arguing that reparations should come from Europeans, as well as the Guyana govt also?

3. Do Indians owe reparations to Africans? I so, why?

Thank you.

Valid Questions. 

FM
caribny posted:
Drugb posted:

Now that your pnc in power you don't want them to pay out reparations but back in pop time you claimed that they should pay.

Did you ever see any claims from me about reparations?

No you in your racist head, addled with the substances which lead you to call yourself "drugb," concocted a demand for reparations.

Brown bai KKK a demand that Africans be hired on merit isn't a demand for reparations.  In fact I was also quite clear that even affirmative action was not necessary.

In fact you were arguing that PPP aka Indians should give reparations to Blacks. 

FM
VishMahabir posted:

Carib

I have been following the debate with you and Stormy...

Here are some questions I have....would appreciate your enlightenment.

1. What exactly in your view constitute reparations (money, land)?

2. Are Africans arguing that reparations should come from Europeans, as well as the Guyana govt also?

3. Do Indians owe reparations to Africans? I so, why?

Thank you.

I suggest that you take it up with Eric.  I have already mentioned that his demands make no sense, at least where the Guyana state is concerned.

If I respond to you, then you and your brown bai KKK will be screaming that I demand reparations for blacks.

So send your email to Eric. Sure he will respond to you.

 

Also why not read my response to Eric. Even the mentally retarded brown bai KKK AKA drugb knows that there isn't the most minute request for reparations, in it and certainly NOT from Indians.

Note especially my commentary that Guyana state CANNOT bear culpability for acts committed during the colonial era.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
yuji22 posted:
VishMahabir posted:

Carib

I have been following the debate with you and Stormy...

Here are some questions I have....would appreciate your enlightenment.

1. What exactly in your view constitute reparations (money, land)?

2. Are Africans arguing that reparations should come from Europeans, as well as the Guyana govt also?

3. Do Indians owe reparations to Africans? I so, why?

Thank you.

Valid Questions. 

As expected VishMahabi's brown bai KKK buddies show up.

FM
Drugb posted:
caribny posted:
Drugb posted:

Now that your pnc in power you don't want them to pay out reparations but back in pop time you claimed that they should pay.

Did you ever see any claims from me about reparations?

No you in your racist head, addled with the substances which lead you to call yourself "drugb," concocted a demand for reparations.

Brown bai KKK a demand that Africans be hired on merit isn't a demand for reparations.  In fact I was also quite clear that even affirmative action was not necessary.

In fact you were arguing that PPP aka Indians should give reparations to Blacks. 

Really?  And it what form did I demand that the PPP award reparations?

You mean hiring people on the basis of merit, and not race?  That qualifies as reparations in your eyes?

You are sea deep in your brown bai KKK doodoo that you don't even know how foul you smell.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

As long as the East Indian man and woman of Guyana does not have their independent country they will continue to be label as a people who took from other Guyanese and contributed nothing.

Prashad
caribny posted: 

Really?  And it what form did I demand that the PPP award reparations?

You mean hiring people on the basis of merit, and not race?  That qualifies as reparations in your eyes?

You are sea deep in your brown bai KKK doodoo that you don't even know how foul you smell.

Well at least now you ketch sense and change your mind, this goes to show that there is redemption even the lowest of people. Now you can"t seem to find an explanation why the Blacks are still at the bottom of the economic ladder even under the PNC. No more PPP to blame.  You should make it your mission to show them how to move up the food chain.

FM
Drugb posted:
caribny posted: 

Really?  And it what form did I demand that the PPP award reparations?

You mean hiring people on the basis of merit, and not race?  That qualifies as reparations in your eyes?

You are sea deep in your brown bai KKK doodoo that you don't even know how foul you smell.

Well at least now you ketch sense and change your mind, this goes to show that there is redemption even the lowest of people. Now you can"t seem to find an explanation why the Blacks are still at the bottom of the economic ladder even under the PNC. No more PPP to blame.  You should make it your mission to show them how to move up the food chain.

I asked you a question, and of course you cannot answer.

I will ask you again. Given that you are adamant that I demanded that the PPP provide reparations to blacks, in what form do you recall that I demanded this.

Now I challenge you on your fiction and you resort to your usual druggie ignorance.

BTW many Indians will challenge your notion that blacks are at the bottom. In fact your hero Jagdeo would scream that blacks and Indians have comparable household incomes and levels of poverty.

FM
caribny posted:

I asked you a question, and of course you cannot answer.

I will ask you again. Given that you are adamant that I demanded that the PPP provide reparations to blacks, in what form do you recall that I demanded this.

Now I challenge you on your fiction and you resort to your usual druggie ignorance.

BTW many Indians will challenge your notion that blacks are at the bottom. In fact your hero Jagdeo would scream that blacks and Indians have comparable household incomes and levels of poverty.

Wonders never cease, now you are no longer claiming that Blacks are the impoverished class. The statistics must have been skewed ever since the PNC got into power and landed all those jobs with access to bribe money. 

You didn't get into specifics back then but was working out the details such as assigning a black to every Indian family to support. 

FM
Drugb posted:
 

Wonders never cease, now you are no longer claiming that Blacks are the impoverished class. The statistics must have been skewed ever since the PNC got into power and landed all those jobs with access to bribe money. 

You didn't get into specifics back then but was working out the details such as assigning a black to every Indian family to support. 

I see that druggie continues to show an inability to prove that I demanded that Indians pay reparations to blacks.

Continue to display that you and Nehru are the too simpletons on the board.  The only reason why I don't block you as I do Nehru is that your ignorance is amusing, whereas Nehru is just plain irritating.

FM

Eric Phillips is straight up a liar and a dishonest broker on the commission. To label it a commission on indigenous and African reparation is itself a lie. Amerindians are not seeking reparation though the see no fault in others seeking it. Note, the PPP allowed people like him to object to Native peoples calling themselves indigenous. Now the word used in the name of this commission is outside its context of usage every where else on the planet and leads others to believe Native people are on this team as well. We have no part in it.

Phillips lie that there were 450K Africans who died in slavery in Guyana. Only 1.9 million came to the west indies and on emancipation there were some 80 thousand former slaves. His numbers are deductively bunk. I did not even try to estimate the numbers that came even though I have the exact lusting from dutch and british censors somewhere in my collection of Guyanese historical data.

He also said the Wai Wais or Wapishanas or Macouxi were recent immigrants to the headwaters of the Essiquibo and Takutu and the foot hills of the Kanuku. How the hell does he kno that? Raleigh lieutenant said he believed the golden city of Manoa was in that region and he heard from indians on the corentyne...he could not go further upriver because of the Rapids, that there were natives living there. Secondly, the Wai Wais and Wapishanas do not speak the same language as their kin on the Brazilian side. They were in the area long enough to assimilate with other tribal groups and engender a completely new language unique to them.\

But what does that matter? Amerindians do not have to be in a place at the time some historian saw them to have legitimate right. We know they inhabited everyplace from tierra del fuego to northern Canada all the way to the arctic circle.

Lastly, we did not enslave anyone. We were the ones invaded. We did not kill anyone. We got killed. We lost some 25 to 40 million if one is to believe the accounting of contemporaneous of the period watching the demise of the native people across the Americas. That is in proportion of two to four times the deaths of Africans who suffered and died in slavery.

Eric Phillips as a historian is a quack.  He does African marginalization narrative in Guyana a bad turn. He angers those who would be on his side from among Africans and Indians and sough our Amerindians as his target to give up rights so he can get his way. Whatever corrupt history he can invent he has the the worlds academic institutions and the social and political agencies ie the UN on the opposite side  to his arguments. He does Africans in Guyana a terrible disservice.

FM
Stormborn posted:

. Amerindians are not seeking reparation though the see no fault in others seeking it.

Phillips lie that there were 450K Africans who died in slavery in Guyana. Only 1.9 million came to the west indies and on emancipation there were some 80 thousand former slaves.

Lastly, we did not enslave anyone.

Even you are confusing what is specific to Guyana, and the larger issues.

1.  2.7 million enslaved peoples were brought to the ENGLISH speaking Caribbean.  The vast majority of these died within 7 years of arrival.  In fact 650k were brought to Barbados, which had a population which didn't surpass 200k until the 1950s.

In fact 12.5 million enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas, 5 million to Brazil alone.

What happened to those peoples are as genocidal as what happened to the Native American populations.

2.  Amerindians were NOT the innocent people you claim they were.  Why not look at the brutal ways that the Aztecs and Incas killed those under their domain?  Or the genocidal ways that Caribs treated the Arawaks and others that they encountered. 

The Europeans were merely more efficiently dominant and effective in eliminating their competition for resources than the various Native groups were.

3.  The fact that you argue that you (as a tax paying Guyanese) have no obligation to underwrite reparations for the descendants of African slaves is precisely why I disagree with Eric. He confuses demands for reparatory justice from the Europeans (legitimate, but I maintain is a waste of time) with a demand from reparatory justice from the Guyana state. 

The Guyana state did NOT exist during the colonial era, and so CANNOT be held responsible for events that occurred during the colonial era.  By demanding reparatory justice from the Guyana state he is implying that non Africans be held culpable for the acts that he describes.

4.  It is the Portuguese descended Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent who injected the part of reparatory justice for the Native peoples, so don't blame Eric for that.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
randolph posted:

 What land when you can't even fence one lil yard 50 x 100 and plant. And then it will be like Rosinante when the only productive farmer was the lone Indo who the Kabaka praised and cuss dem lazy Afro and the Indo said "Sah dem ah even tief meh praduce" or like Naamryck wen dem sold all the Kabaka give dem  to the Indos from Leguan. And the MMA and should I go on.

Given that Guyana is the POOREST country in the English speaking Caribbean, despite 23 years of PPP rule, how "hard working" are these Indos who you describe.  Apparently no more than the blacks who you despise.

FM
Drugb posted:

any reparations should come from the Europeans. So caribj you have your work cut out for you. Good luck

I agree with Caribj that reparation is in order, however they need to sue the Brits on this and not try to bleed it out of the little rump state of Guyana.  You seek reparation from those who benefited, and clearly all decisions were make by the colonial power, then PNC post-independence.  The PPP came very late in the game with the "party" was already well over!!

FM
caribny posted:
randolph posted:

 What land when you can't even fence one lil yard 50 x 100 and plant. And then it will be like Rosinante when the only productive farmer was the lone Indo who the Kabaka praised and cuss dem lazy Afro and the Indo said "Sah dem ah even tief meh praduce" or like Naamryck wen dem sold all the Kabaka give dem  to the Indos from Leguan. And the MMA and should I go on.

Given that Guyana is the POOREST country in the English speaking Caribbean, despite 23 years of PPP rule, how "hard working" are these Indos who you describe.  Apparently no more than the blacks who you despise.

Maybe, but Guyana is way better off then the way the PNC left it in 1992 after 28 years of misrule.  That is the more relevant barometer.  Under the PPP some segments of all races did better and some segments of all races did bad.

Under the PNC most segments of all races, in the end, did worse!!

FM

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