Hamilton Green should not try to rewrite Guyana’s history

Dear Editor,
I felt revolted when I read a recent letter which appeared in the letters columns of the dailies. It was authored by Hamilton Green and captioned, ‘This kind of behaviour is unheard of’. This letter is referring to the incident which saw Bishop Juan Edgehill refusing, as an elected member of the House, to be silenced; to be made to sit; or to be put out of the House.
The gall and hypocrisy of Hamilton Green are just unbelievable. Had it been any other person — and I mean any other person writing the letter — one might have been willing to disregard it as just a person singing for his supper; and quite a large supper (pension) it is that he is getting off of the backs of the poor citizens of this country without justification.
But the statement, coming from this octogenarian who claims to be a life-long student of history, that this ‘kind of behaviour is unheard of in Parliaments’, is simply outrageous, and forces one to ask where he has been living in the last eighty plus years? Has he never heard of legislative disorder, conflicts, and violence — which broadly refers to any clashes between members of a legislature inside the legislature and triggered by divisive issues and tight votes?
Such legislative dissent has existed since the days of Ancient Rome and the Roman Senate. Other incidents of disorder have occurred over time in the national legislatures of Bolivia, Canada, Egypt, Estonia, the European Parliament, Israel, Japan, Nigeria, South Africa, even neighbouring Suriname, and so many more.
He then advocates that Bishop Edghill — as no ordinary man, and as a Christian Leader — is duty bound to set a good example. Using his logic, then, wasn’t he, as a political and civic leader, duty bound to set a good example as well? But his reference to the phony moral and spiritual crusade that he had embarked on is laughable. Surely he does not think that anyone, least of all Bishop Edghill, took seriously this pretentious and most ridiculous campaign coming from him?
Quite incredulously, he questions the reasons that would have lured Edghill to the PPP, seeming to forget that a number of years ago he himself had made several overtures to the same PPP, but, unlike Edghill, was rebuffed.
But back to the main concern, and that is the contemptible level of double standards of this one-time arch strongman and enforcer of the PNC when he says that the PPP has not learnt, or does not care for protocol, the rule of law, and the sacred nature of certain institutions, such as our Parliament. Is this former ‘Bad Man’ for real? Hamilton Green — whose penchant for undemocratic behaviour is well known, and whose name is associated with the most negative and undemocratic aspects of Guyana’s history; whom the PNC had to expel from its party — talking about the disregard for protocol, the rule of law and the sacred nature of certain institutions?
It is time for Mr Green to cut the crap, get in his rocking chair, and make peace with himself; and not try to rewrite Guyana’s history.

Sincerely,
Magagula Jackson