From Comrade to a comrade

Fri, Aug 24, 2012

Editor: I submit for publication the reply from Dr Gonsalves to an earlier correspondence “From Oscar to Ralph”, published in Searchlight of 08.08.12. I have advised Dr Gonsalves that, contrary to his desire for privacy, I consider “that what began as an open discourse should close in similar manner.”{{more}}

Respectfully,
Oscar Allen.

August 15, 2012

Comrade Oscar Allen
Diamond Village
Diamond Village P.O.
St Vincent and the Grenadines

Dear Oscar,

I received your recent letter to me, undated, after you had caused it to be published in the newspaper.

I write a response, privately, to you out of respect for you; I do not intend it for any public consumption. I shall, however, share it with Comrade Caspar.

I am profoundly disappointed in the contents of your letter. It is littered with factual errors, unfounded assertions, and jaundiced opinions. I shall not respond to these save and except to say that you have, with a petit bourgeois air of superiority, wronged Comrade Caspar London and embarrassed and humiliated him publicly for no reason but to satisfy some unfulfilled vanity in yourself.

You do not, and cannot, know the depth, breadth and solidarity between Caspar and me. That solidarity will remain unto our end in this earthly city. It is against the backdrop of decades of close friendship between Caspar and me, that I find your public comment about his alleged condition, as you see it, both opportunistic and hypocritical.

On no less than four occasions between 2001 and 2009, NDP parliamentarians in the House of Assembly, and on several occasions on radio, strongly critiqued and questioned the “industrial relations consultancy” which I had personally organised for Caspar. Not once did you raise your voice publicly in defence of Caspar and his competence in performing his successive contracts. Your silence in this regard is similar to your failure and/or refusal to defend and support the umpteen progressive initiatives by the ULP government. But then again you have elevated, in a most cock-eyed manner, into some sort of a principle the backward notion that you will not commend the ULP government or me on anything since there are enough people who are available to do that. Really, you call yourself “a progressive” or “revolutionary democrat” and write such rubbish.

As you have affirmed in your letter, your role is to criticise me for any alleged shortcoming on the part of the ULP administration and Ralph. Oscar, do you really reflect on some of the backward rot that you have been writing for the past few years? Why do you think that you are more “progressive”, “moral”, “noble” than anyone else in the struggle for our people’s liberation? Why do you mask this extraordinary holier-than-thou arrogance in a make-belief humility?

I advise that you rethink a lot of things which you do, say and write. You have been a sound Comrade but in the last few years I think that you have lost your bearings. I have examples galore of your departure from “progressive” ideals and your provision of support and succour for the backward NDP.

At anytime please call me for us to continue our comradely conversations.

I am tempted to suggest that you, Caspar, and me sit and talk but I suspect that Caspar’s personal dignity would revolt against you being present in such a discussion.

All the best to you my friend and comrade.

Always,
Ralph E Gonsalves.