Dear Editor,
Quite recently after listening to Hilton Hemerdings’ song “Beautiful Guyana” which goes in part: “Land of jungle waterfall and sweet sceneries … and the people living in peace and harmony,” I couldn’t help thinking how misleading some of these lines are today, when we are assailed daily by the papers and TV with gruesome and grisly headlines of all forms of human butchering.
Well, well the political pundits can knock themselves out in the illusion that we are “one people, one nation, one destiny,” I don’t see it, maybe only as a motto, but practically – no way! We are more than ever racially divided and a mass of individuals on the hunt to preserve self/family. The recent massacres/killings have brought out in bold form – expectedly, much unpleasantness, forget the talk on the government-controlled radio/TV and those make believe pontifications about one united people and preserving democracy. Walk the streets, see and listen, it’s all to the contrary in all forms and colour; subtle, silent, brass face and even vulgar. The things I hear some alarming, some puzzling, some ridiculous, confusing and hopeless and the way many allow themselves to be manipulated are all sorrowful – poison darts.
In the year 2002 I wrote “this is the time when the majority of Guyanese have lost sight of even a twinkling at the end of the tunnel, only about one in every 20 seems optimistic about a better Guyana.” Now that we seem lost in a masquerade, how do we go about finding ourselves? There are many who still stifle their true feelings, afraid of how they might be considered by their own race, and they do not want to be seen as against and lose favour. Also partisan politics has been a culprit in this regard, we remain steadfast in the face of blatant wrongs and injustices to others.
The massacres and other horrific killings have caused all sorts of nasty racial remarks by one ethnic group to another, all forms of nasty descriptive adjectives and epithets. But when the fury, the hurt and emotions subside and the dust settles, we will have to sincerely look at some harsh reality and deal with our problems in an impartial way. Bishop Edghill is correct when he said “It is time we seek the root causes of our problems and find out why people responsible for such acts, chose that path …” We need to look beyond the killings by “mindless murderers” and heavy armoury to find the real issue – the tree couldn’t stand without its root. I have heard complaints from Afro Guyanese small business about Indian big business having two prices; one for their own kind and another (higher) price for blacks, of not selling them scarce commodities even though “I is regular”. These and other forms of discrimination and unwholesome behaviour they have termed silent, non violent forms of attack. Then there are those black intellectuals who don’t give a toss about the conditions of their kind, once they are among the privileged. On both sides of the divide in the two major race camps are “carefully nurtured fears” well preserved and potentially volatile, at the ready, to be exploited by even more dangerous rogue elements whenever they feel the earth move from under the feet. These are some conditions that we are consumed by today, and must seek to extricate ourselves from. Someone said to me that the question is not so much when and where we fell but more so, where we slipped before the fall. So how do we pick ourselves up by the boot lace?
First and foremost we need sincere people who truly believe in the good of one Guyana and all its people.
Leaders who from deep down care. Too often we are unfortunately saddled with feckless “narcissistic charlatans” (according to R. Burke) as leaders who have set by example the tone, whereby people have come to accept their Machiavellian theory that politics is a mere science of deals played like a game of poker; hence the bluffs, deceit, chicanery and misdeeds are inevitable, and cleverness, craftiness and callousness are the principal ingredients combined to exploit others (masses) and for self-aggrandisement. Nothing virtuous must be expected, except by chance.
Then secondly the people and their various leaders must seriously challenge the status quo and fight for the retooling of a system which must be programmed to be in harmony with the needs of the working class-masses.
When I think of the $50 million reward to hunt down a criminal, I’m really confused when I reflect that a five hundred thousand for a life saving surgery to a child is not approved; and a family man who goes begging for a soft loan to get on his feet is turned down with disdain, I sigh. Let us get real, desperate minds are not all from birth, many are also created by social and material conditions, the quality of our system. I’m often amazed that we are always so keen and studious about how one dies but never in the least similarly interested in how they are fighting to survive. Isn’t this civilization turned upside down?
In passing, I need to mention that the police force’s performance in this whole episode has been mediocre and a dismal failing and not surprising. There have been accusations of hired guns in the force, and the sluggish responses to the many 911 calls have raised many questions. The reckless targeting, arrests, torture and killings of known and innocent individuals and the maltreatment towards suspected victims’ families/relatives and the poor and powerless have stirred the wrath of many.
I know of someone who, right now cannot get a job because he does not have $24,000 to do a scan test at the government public hospital. These are the real causes that provide the springboard for various forms of behaviour that need to be addressed. A sudden rush to implement new laws and beef up security of an imbalanced system will not suffice, it will eventually buckle. What goes around comes around, and only the truth can save us and set us free. Guns are only a small part of the solution, if the rulers don’t truly believe so, then they are terribly deluded.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
