Dear Editor,
It was very interesting to see that Mr Jagdeo recently endorsed Senator Obama a few days before the US presidential election, and even stated that if he could, he would have campaigned for President Obama. But while this is all laudable, it would be more tangible if Mr Jagdeo would campaign to bring the essence of American democracy (constituency politics, regular local elections, etc) and most importantly, the ideas of Obama, to this country. Walking the walk and talking the talk are two different things and Mr Jagdeo should try to follow the Obama example and be straight with the Guyanese people instead of pretending that everything is going well.
Mr Obama has assembled a highly qualified team to manage the affairs of his nation, not square pegs in round holes, including persons from his traditional opposition. This is a move which follows the policies of the great President Lincoln and documented in the book, A Team Of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. President Lincoln brought almost all of his opposition into his 1860 cabinet and even gave Federick Douglass, that great Afro-American emancipator, free access to the White House.
As he obviously admires and endorses Mr Obama, then Mr Jagdeo should take the lead and start the new year by bringing new and opposing blood into his administration from the opposition parties and civic society, while flushing out of his government all the square pegs in round holes.
A case in point: the current flooding in this country, after in excess of $700M has reportedly been spent to prevent this malady. Has anyone calculated how much revenue has been lost to individual businessmen and to the country as a whole − our money?
Has anyone calculated how much of a detriment to our children’s health and well-being this constant flooding is? Has anyone calculated how much time and energy is lost in fighting the actual flooding and its after effects? Has anyone calculated the effects of sagging spirits among the people when they have to add flooding to their daily travails of dealing with a failing economy?
Georgetown is our strength and our guidance centre for our dear country, but look at what is happening because of − as President Cheddi always said − square pegs in round holes.
Where are the pumps to relieve our dear city where all foreign visitors come to first? We have a river on one side and an ocean on the other and yet we can’t pump out the water polluting our city and we have spent $700M! What is going on? Square pegs in round holes, that’s what.
So, Mr Jagdeo should follow the example of Senator Obama and the great Abraham Lincoln in assembling a team of rivals to whom he listens and from whom he seeks guidance in − as my godfather Forbes Burnham said − moulding a new destiny and housing, feeding and clothing the nation by a new self-reliance.
Having ‘yes’ men around a real leader of a country is not the way to go, and President Obama is proving that every day in his appointments. Mr Jagdeo should follow the example of Barack Obama and that will bring unity and a new positive attitude in the peoples’ spirits; a legacy is not just building bridges, stadiums and airports, but also about fostering a new attitude and spirit in our people, one based on real democracy. Mr Jagdeo should start the new year by removing all the square pegs in round holes from government service, thereby paying true homage to President Cheddi, and giving the Guyanese people a real chance to finally say: ‘Yes! we can.”
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr)
