Dear Editor,
With respect to an article in circulation in cyberspace, ‘The show must go on,’ I would like to say that I wholeheartedly support Mr Corbin’s position that Carifesta X should be boycotted if concessions are not made to improve governance in Guyana. I would not myself use terms such as “unmanageable” and I would not limit the area of concern to the restoration of the licence of TV station Channel 6. I would list five objectives of a boycott of Carifesta. They are: (1) The return of the licence to TV station Channel 6 (2) An end to uni-race rule (3) The thoroughgoing application of the separation of powers in governance (4) Empowerment of the local authorities to govern their own lives (5) The decentralisation of the administration to cope with managing the vast territorial space of the country.
This agenda is huge and questions can be asked about the wisdom of imposing such a huge agenda on a relatively small matter such as Carifesta. In economics, we have a rule that we should have as many instruments as targets. In the state of desperation that we have in Guyana, we have to abandon that rule and hinge everything, for the time being, on a single instrument, namely the boycotting of Carifesta. The boycott provides a small window of opportunity to peaceful change in governance which, if not taken, can lead to unfortunate consequences. It is a way out of the low grade war which is being waged in Guyana and which is resulting in severe legal and administrative transgressions.
It is necessary to aim a psychological blow at the President who wishes to show an international face of enlightenment while behaving, as described by a colleague, as a control freak. If the people, primarily the African people, say that they will boycott Carifesta, the likely embarrassment should force reasonable concessions to improve governance that President Jagdeo will never concede unless he is forced to do so. He needs the shock that he will not always escape accountability by hypocrisy.
Dr Misir in his rant against the oppositional elements praises the Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture (JIA) for giving priority to Caribbean agriculture when President Jagdeo, at home, has stifled agriculture by the sheer incompetence in managing drainage and irrigation. Instead of giving priority to dredging the Georgetown Harbour and freeing up the canals for more efficient drainage of the city, the President gave priority to World Cup Cricket. Seven of the main rivers of the country have not been dredged for several years, with the consequence that their higher water levels have made drainage more difficult. These facts do not feature in Dr Misir’s euphoric praise of the President. It is all so patently dishonest.
Mr Sharma’s behaviour in permitting several re-broadcasts of the threat to the President’s life cannot be condoned. He needs to be penalized, though the withdrawal of the licence for four months is excessive.
Guyana is in crisis, in part because of the inappropriate structure and functioning of governance, but also because narcotics and fuel smuggling are corrupting Guyana on a large scale. The opposition is not free from blame. It has to clean up its act. But it can contribute to an improvement in the lives of Guyanese if it sticks to its guns and encourages a boycott of Carifesta. Terms like making the occasion unmanageable are threatening and should be avoided. The opposition should use the occasion to get the people to speak to the government peacefully to end the low grade war that is at present prevailing. Boycotting Carifesta is a way to start.
References to Mr Burnham’s initiating Carifesta, although true, are completely irrelevant. Mr Burnham is dead and long gone.
Yours faithfully,
Clarence F. Ellis
