Dear Editor,
Rohit Kanhai was once a publisher of a popular weekly Guyanese newspaper in New York. His letter in SN of May 3rd, cast doubt on the pronouncement of three reputable pathologists who examined the body of 11-year-old Adriana Younge; it goes further – it blames top gov’t leaders for just restating what the pathologists had pronounced. The pathologist’s pronouncement: Adriana died by drowning.
Rohit Kanhai wrote, “The spin doctors [President Ali, VP Jagdeo, AG Nandlall] immediately engaged in a performance that would make Harry Houdini blush. The spin doctors spun the child’s death was accidental . . .” Editor, this was plainly a wicked distortion. Editor, I was stunned by a former newspaper publisher’s take on this matter. My spontaneous response in the SN online blogs follows: “Holy Cow, what did I just read there? Rohit Kanhai has gone off the rails. I read the same thing – statements in the press from the pathologists (Adrian died by drowning) – and other straight forward comments by govt officials. What is there to spin? There were no spin doctors. That’s strange labeling by Kanhai.
On the day Adriana and her grandmother went to have a fun-day by the poolside at DD Hotel, a school bus overturned in Chicago – several school children died in the accident. And, no hoopla and mayhem resulted. It was just an accident. Adriana’s death was plainly a drowning accident. But this accident almost caused the whole country to implode. Why is that so? If the GPF had used proper protocols – there would have been no mayhem. Police had to take charge. A missing girl. Cordon off the area. Deploy police divers to search the bottom of the pool. Commandeer control of the hotel. Search every room. Adriana’s body would have been found within hours. And, it would have been deemed just a freak accident.
Police did no such thing. Instead, rumors began to fly. Hotel owners do voodoo sacrifices. Anger is rising – it turns into rage. Body still not found. Hours and hours are chalking up. Rage is multiplying with every passing hour. Rage turns into a mob. Hotel is set afire. Body finally floats up in the pool. An anxious nation awaits postmortem results. The mob gathers – fueled by the belief there was foul play. Pathologists pronounced: No foul play. Adriana died by drowning. The tensions and rage should cool down. That should have been the end of the anxiety and worry about this hapless, tragic death of 11-year-old Adriana.
Enters Rohit Kanhai, one time publisher of a popular weekly newspaper – complaining of Gov’t officials’ spinning. What is there to spin? A swimming accident that resulted in death. If anything, it exposed the soft underbelly of this “half-baked” nation (Naipaul’s phrase). It is a potential tinder box. Publishers like Kanhai should see this for what it is: An unfortunate drowning accident. No foul play here. Hotel owners do not abduct kids for voodoo sacrifice. Use your talent to dispel the voodoo nonsense. Help to restore sanity and public order.
Sincerely,
Mike Persaud