I was not won over by President Ali

Dear Editor,

I write to condemn the unfair and misleading portrayal of my exchange with President Irfaan Ali in Dhanpaul Narine’s October 30 commentary on the President’s New York diaspora visit. Narine describes, “The political spinners were in full force”… an unnamed “dedicated disruptor” as “loud and vexatious” and declares that this person “ended up in the arms of the President.” Reflections on the Guyanese Diaspora in NY and President Ali’s visit – Kiskadee Watch^[1]

Thousands of social media posts have made it public knowledge that the individual he is referring to is Albert Baldeo – me. Omitting my name does not prevent those familiar with the encounter from identifying me or diminish the damage caused by this disparaging and misleading portrayal.

As the person targeted, let me give my account plainly. President Ali first singled me out for negative mention. I responded by asking questions about matters of profound public concern. He subsequently asked me to say something positive about him. That exchange did not constitute a withdrawal of my questions, an abandonment of my independence, or an endorsement of everything his administration does. I assured him that I would give credit where it is due, but that he must also consider criticisms objectively.

Moreover, for Dhanpaul Narine, the President of a mandir, to recount a formal greeting as “ended up in the arms of the President,” is malicious and obscene, more the rantings of a twisted mind.

Any suggestion that I was politically subdued or won over, gravely misrepresents my position. Courtesy towards a President does not cancel an advocate’s concerns. My independence survives both presidential criticism and presidential courtesy. After all, I was blessed to receive the highest commendations and gratitude from Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the father of the PPP and Guyana, and my affiliation precedes most today, and even President Ali and VP Bharat Jagdeo will acknowledge that I have the moral and legal right to criticize present policies and actions of its leadership today.

The questions I raised concerned, first, the MV Barima tragedy^[2]: why the victims’ bodies had not been brought up, when recovery would take place, and what answers their grieving families could expect. These were urgent humanitarian concerns. Contemporaneous reporting confirms that the President addressed the disaster at the meeting and renewed his commitment to salvaging the vessel. The subject plainly warranted serious questioning, and, to his credit, he complied, although more is needed.

Families waiting for their loved ones’ remains deserve an advocate prepared to ask uncomfortable questions. Their grief does not become less important because a meeting is celebratory or its audience enthusiastic. Asking for dignity for the dead, answers for the living, and accountability from those in authority is a legitimate exercise of my public responsibility as a veteran, elected leader in NY.

I also asked the President to address the controversy surrounding his farm. Questions about its acquisition, financing, development, regulatory approvals and any relationship between private interests and public office are proper subjects of scrutiny. Indeed, Kiskadee Watch itself reported demands for disclosure from former EPA Executive Director Dr. Vincent Adams, the Guyana Trades Union Congress and others.^[3] A subject sufficiently serious for your newspaper to investigate cannot fairly be dismissed as mere vexation when a citizen raises it directly with the President. Indeed, many have complimented and thanked me for my “brave and necessary advocacy.”

President Ali has said that the farm was acquired before he became President, was financed through banking arrangements, and was disclosed to the Integrity Commission. The public equally deserves the opportunity to seek clarification and supporting records. Asking those questions does not presume wrongdoing; it gives accountability practical meaning.

I was prepared to stand alone if necessary to raise these concerns, a virtue missing among self-anointed pundits like Dhanpaul Narine. That willingness reflects the courage, independence and fighting spirit with which I approach public service. Dhanpaul Narine, who has borne grudges against me since I defeated him and Robby Mahadeo, combined, in the bitter 2005 City Council election that caused our community to lose our best chance of representation when they divided the diaspora’s votes by belatedly joining the race, may dislike my manner or disagree with my judgement. But to minimize its efficacy is dishonest.

My record of advocacy extends well beyond that evening. Published accounts have documented my decades long work for our community, immigrants and marginalized communities, monetary contributions to religious organizations including Dhanpaul’s Trimurti Bhavan Mandir itself, over which he wields despotic control, with no elections.

Accordingly, I ask the Editor of Kiskadee Watch to take the following action:

1. Publish this response with reasonable prominence and link it to the original article, so readers can consider the account of the person criticized.
2. Review the disputed passage against any available recordings and eyewitness accounts, addressing how the exchange began, the questions I raised, and the misleading suggestion that my independence was compromised.
3. Publish a clear correction and apology for the unfair portrayal, with an explanation of the context omitted from the original account.
4. Apply proportionate editorial sanctions for substantiated breaches, including a formal reprimand and stronger editorial scrutiny, including suspension of Narine’s column.

These requests concern accuracy, fairness and accountability—the standards a newspaper should apply to its own contributors when it asks public officials to answer for their conduct.

I will continue to speak for grieving families, defend the diaspora’s right to question its leaders, and judge public officials by their actions. I will give credit where it is earned and demand answers where they are owed.

The MV Barima families deserve answers. The diaspora deserves respect. Kiskadee Watch’s readers deserve an honest account.

References

1. Reflections on the  Guyanese Diaspora in NY and President Ali’s visitkiskadeewatch.com ↩
2. President assures diaspora in New York that MV Barima will be salvaged - News Source Guyananewssourcegy.com ↩
3. The President’s farmkiskadeewatch.com ↩