NEWS & ANALYSIS

Why on earth are we honouring the late Linden Forbes Burnham?

Dinga Nkhwashu says the late Guyanese President was a murderous despot

MUCH ADO ABOUT CONFERRING OF NATIONAL ORDERS- THE COMPANIONS OF OR TAMBO AWARD TO LINDEN FORBES SAMPSON BURNHAM OF GUYANA

On the 22nd of April 2013 and on the 19th instalment of the ANC government's award of national orders, Dr. Cassius Lubisi, the Director General in the Presidency announced the names of this year's awardees of the various national orders,

He was making this announcement in his capacity as the Chancellor of National Orders of the Republic of South Africa in keeping with tradition to award such orders during April, Freedom month. Most awardees are indeed familiar names and local sport, academic, scientific and other heroes including Dr. Malekgapuru Makgoba, Vusi Mahlasela, Chad Le Clos and others,

However it was the appearance of one specific names that got people in an international debate about how some recipients of these awards are chosen. The name in question is that of one Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham who got the posthumous award, the Order of the Companion of OR Tambo,

Those of you who are now asking who on earth is that deserves a quick rundown on who he is:

The late President Burnham is the former President of present Guyana, a small Caribbean state. Not only was he President but he also held the following positions during his leadership reign-

1. Premier of British Guiana later Guyana from 1964 to 1966,

2. Prime Minister of Guyana from 1966 to 1980,

3. Finally 1980 to 1985 he was President until he died on the 06th August 1985 on an operating table while receiving anesthetic for a throat surgery,

According to Wikipedia and other sources his reign was characterized by the following-

a. Enactment of oppressive and draconian legislation giving police power to wantonly violate the basic human rights of citizens including arbitrary searches, seizures and arrests,

b. vote rigging and election fraud,

c. being a strong man of sorts,

d. Promotion of a police state,

e. declaration of Guyana as a "Socialist Cooperative Republic" and designating himself as "the Comrade Leader". Shame on those of you who thought Gaddafi was the only one who had this kind of self affection when he was called "Brother Leader",

f. harassment and abuse of foreign election observers during elections,

g. Fraudulent rigging of a referendum that resulted in him being bestowed or rather him bestowing himself the new position, after the Constitution was amended at his behest, of Executive President. It was at this time that he apparently conferred on himself supreme powers over all constitutional institutions,

h. supporting,aiding and abetting fugitives and outlaws like the House of Israel and its fugitive American leader, one David Hill, 

i. Presiding over rolling power outages or black outs,

j. arranging or hiring thugs to beat up critics of his government including opposition leaders,

k. political repression,

l. Murder of opposition leaders like Edward Dublin, Ohene Koamanand and Dr. Walter Rodney and other atrocities,

Now these national orders are supposed to be awarded to patriots (South Africans) and friends of the South African government who subscribes and promotes the values enshrined in our Constitution or at least aligned to them including freedom and justice,

According to Dr. Lubisi's press release the awards recognize, in so far as foreign nationals are concerned, "imminent foreign nationals and foreign dignitaries for their friendship shown to South Africa". With the risk of stating the obvious these awards, introduced at the dawn of democratic dispensation under the ANC government, will invariably honor those people that the organization feels made some or other kind of contribution to freedom, equality, justice and other values that it aspires to and hold dear.

The crux of the international debate led mainly by Professor Horace Campbell (see here) about the decision to posthumously award the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo to the late President Burnham is that, with his atrocious governance record neither does he deserve the award nor did he subscribe to the values of the awards and what OR Tambo stood for.

Professor Campbell's gripe centers around President Burnham's alleged involvement or at the very least his complicity in the assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney, an eminent leading Guyanese intellectual who was murdered by a thug called Gregory Smith,.

Not only was President accused of involvement in the murder he is further accused of being an accessory after the fact (in South African legal parlance) in that he apparently allowed the murderer to flee Guyana to the French island of Cayenne and further refused to appoint a commission of enquiry into the assassination.

He is further being accused of being part of a group of people who set about to systematically discredit Dr. Rodney's philosophy and thinking.

For those of us who, during the apartheid years and growing up, imbibed, as part of our political education the teachings and the philosophy of Dr. Rodney, this is more than a worrying accusation. It is like awarding the apartheid South Africa's leaders for killing Steve Biko.

President Burnham is being awarded the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo for "his dedication for the liberation of his country as well as the African continent and his expression of solidarity with liberation movements and freedom fighters in South Africa". If that is the criteria then Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga ( Mobutu of the then Zaire and now DRC) will be the next recipient of this award.

Those who follow history will tell you that President Burnham was no Barry White( he did not practice what he preached) and was, as some argue, a French stooge cut in the same cloth as Mobutu.

He therefore does not deserve the award or even to be associated with the values of our freedom, constitution and what Freedom Day in South Africa stand for.

The writer is a member of the ANC and writes in his personal capacity.

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