Grief never ceases for Green’s fatalities — Hargesh B. Singh — Opinion

Grief never ceases for Green’s fatalities

October 4, 2026·2 min read

Dear Editor,

“Elder” Hamilton Green’s plaintive cry is that “if there is one drop of humanity left, if there is a tincture of love lingering in this (PPP) Administration, they will use the authority they have to free three men from behind bars, who, from all information available, neither plotted nor planned the privation of 72 fellow citizens on that fateful day, when they reported for work at the Transport and Harbours Department.

So, on the same token, if “… there is one drop of humanity left, if there is a tincture of love lingering in this…” ELDER Green, he will come clean on a few things that have etched a sordid dent in the memory of all Guyanese.

Editor, I grieve for the families and relatives of Jagan Ramessar and Bolanauth Parmanand, two Indo Guyanese who were cruelly gunned down under the watch of Elder Hamilton Green during the infamous, “heavily rigged” 1973 General Elections. Under Elder Green’s supervision and instruction, utilising state security forces, the two hard-working, humble and honest “sons of the soil,” were riddled “only for being” part of a peaceful crowd, trying to prevent the military from the forceful and illegal seizing and tampering with ballot boxes.

I ask, “Who was the ‘high-ranking Minister and organiser?’” It was Green; he was the commandeer, enacting “aggressive political strategy” that authorised security forces to use lethal force to ‘protect the fraudulent’ election machinery of the PNC.

It is not too late for Green to visit Parmanand’s widow, Dhanmattie Bholanauth, who is still alive and grieving. At the time of his demise, Parmanand was 42, and he left behind several children, who were forced to grow up without their father. His children and wider extended family still keep his legacy alive, as they are still to overcome what Green meted out to them.

I am sure that Green has the wherewithal to offer some explanations and seek their forgiveness.

Then there was Jagan Ramessar, who was only 17 years old when “authorised (by Green) state security forces gunned him down”, and up to this day, his siblings and extended relatives are numb. His parents, in grief, have since passed away. The grieving fraternity would love to meet Green, if only to see his face.

Editor, the list of fatalities and casualties is quite long, so I will only add Father Bernard Darke, who on July 14, 1979, was publicly stabbed to death on the streets of Georgetown.^[1] At the time, he was photographing an anti-government protest.

Green, at the time, was using the House of Israel, a notorious and thuggish religious cult, which functioned as the ‘state-sponsored paramilitary arm for the PNC.^[2] Green was the medium who protected, funded, and deployed the House of Israel to violently suppress protests and strike down critics. Green’s rampage was tantamount to modern-day terrorism.

So, he, Elder Green, needs to see if he has a “smidgen” of humanity left in him. If he has any, then he needs to offer some token of solatium to the bereaved.

Yours truly,
Hargesh B Singh

References

Bastille Day – Georgetown, 1979 | Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain — www.thinkingfaith.org ↩
House of Israel (Guyana) — en.wikipedia.org ↩

Bastille Day – Georgetown, 1979 | Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain

www.thinkingfaith.org · 2010-07-14

On 14 July 1979, Jesuit priest, Fr Bernard Darke was killed as he photographed what ought to have been a peaceful demonstration in Georgetown, Guyana. Malcolm Rodrigues SJ describes the political unrest leading up to and following the granting of independence to British Guyana, which provided the circumstances for Fr Darke’s death. In a time of rigged elections and ‘constitutional dictatorship’, how did the Church promote peace and denounce injustice, particularly through the Catholic Standard newspaper? ... However, while he was marking examination papers at the college on the morning of 14 July 1979, there was a peaceful demonstration passing the college and he recognised some of the people taking part. Taking his camera, he proceeded to the street to get some shots for the newspaper. As he drew near to the group, he saw the Standard’s Assistant Editor, Michael James, being attacked, so he took some photographs. As he turned to move off, he realised that the assailants were heading in his direction so he rapidly crossed the street, but slipped and fell on the grass verge. They then began to beat him but he held on to his beloved camera and only let go when one of them stabbed him in the lung with a military bayonet. Bernard died later that day at St Joseph’s Mercy hospital and was buried on 25 July, in the presence of his faithful scouts and the students of the college, the Anglican and the Catholic bishops, his fellow Jesuits and about six thousand mourners. Why was Fr Darke killed: was he personally targeted by the killers? Was his killing related to his membership of the Catholic Church? To understand the circumstances leading up to his death, we need to go back the mid-sixties, when the issue of British Guyana’s independence was looming and there was a deepening of the racial tensions in the colony, between the descendents of the freed slaves and the descendants of the indentured labourers from India. ... This was achieved ... , by moving the ... a First-Past- ... -Post system to Pro ... (PNC), supported ... (UF), ... ’. Consequently, ... was instrumental in ... and so a ... of the Second ... open society. ... Randolph George, the ... The message delivered explicitly and regularly by the Catholic Standard was that, as Christians, we are called to defend the fundamental rights of people and to work together to find a peaceful path to true human development. Racial discrimination was condemned and appeals were made to the two major racial groups to refuse to be manipulated in any way which could lead to violence or disrespect for others or their property. This was underscored as attacks began to be made by government activists on the market stalls of the Indo-Guyanese in Georgetown. Priests and nuns were arrested while taking part in peaceful solidarity marches for fair-and-free elections. ... Throughout the PNC’s reign, the Church was targeted by party activists. Hence the attack on that fatal morning of 14 July 1979, which resulted in the death of Fr Bernard Darke, whose anniversary provides the occasion for this article, attacked because he was recognised as a member of the Church. Moreover, it was later revealed that Bernard’s death was a case of mistaken identity: the attackers, members of the dreaded group known as the ‘House of Israel’, had thought that he was Fr Andrew Morrison, editor of the Catholic Standard. This fact was related to Fr Morrison by the leader of the ‘House of Israel’, who gave an interview to the editor from his prison cell. Subsequently, Fr Morrison publicly forgave the leader, Rabbi George Washington, for his part in the killing of Fr Darke and the attacks on the Church.

Source

Grief never ceases for Green’s fatalities in Guyana Times, October 4, 2026

House of Israel (Guyana)

en.wikipedia.org

House of Israel (Guyana) The House of Israel is a Black Hebrew Israelites religious organisation in Guyana founded in 1972 by Rabbi Washington which claims that Africans were the original Hebrews, and that Jesus Christ was black. [1] During the 1970s and 1980s, it was often described as a cult. [1] [2] It was associated with the People's National Congress government under Forbes Burnham, and was sometimes described as its paramilitary arm. ## History The House of Israel was established by an American fugitive, David Hill, also known as Rabbi Edward Washington, who arrived in Guyana in 1972. [1] [3] In the 1970s, the group claimed a membership of 8,000. [1] The House of Israel had a daily radio programme in which it preached that Africans were the original Hebrews. Opponents of the government claimed that the House of Israel constituted a private army for Guyana's ruling party, the People's National Congress (PNC). [1] During an anti-government demonstration, a House of Israel member murdered Roman Catholic priest Bernard Darke because he was on the staff of a religious opposition newspaper, the Catholic Standard. The House of Israel also engaged in strikebreaking activities and disruptions of public meetings. [1] Critics of the government alleged that House of Israel members acted with impunity during the government of Forbes Burnham. However, under Desmond Hoyte, Burnham's successor, Rabbi Washington and key associates were arrested on a long-standing manslaughter charge for the death of James Maion, a former member of the House of Israel, [4] [3] and sentenced to 15 years in 1986. [2] Hill was released in 1992, and extradited to the United States. Hill died on 11 December 2005. [5] At the 2014 Walter Rodney inquiry, Joseph Hamilton, former priest of the House of Israel, testified that the House of Israel committed “oppressive and terrorizing acts on behalf of the PNC.” [6] It was also revealed that the murderer of Walter Rodney was a member of the House of Israel. [7] ## References 1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nishani Frazier. "The "Other" Jim Jones: Rabbi David Hill, House of Israel, and Black American Religion in the Age of Peoples Temple". San Diego State University. Retrieved 23 November 2021. 2. 1 2 "Cult Leader Given 15-Year Sentence for Manslaughter". Los Angeles Times. 1 November 1986. Retrieved 23 November 2021. 3. 1 2 Justin Evans. "Hill, David, Rabbi". Case Western Reserve University. Retrieved 26 November 2024. 4. ↑ Conway, Frederick J. "Religion" (and subsections). A Country Study: Guyana (Tim Merrill, editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (January 1992). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. 5. ↑ "Rabbi Dead at 77". Guyana Chronicle. 11 December 2005. Retrieved 23 November 2021. 6. ↑ "Corbin delivered guns to House of Israel". Guyana Chronicle. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2011. 7. ↑ "House of Israel was hit squad - Rodney's brother". Stabroek News. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2021.