– and some Americana-Guyana

Look, let me declare a few verifiable facts and opinions of a personal nature. (For those readers interested.) And it also has to do with the fact that this very public space has been made available to me for more than sixteen continuous years.

I’m in my mid-sixties. (Important because I am glad to get there); because my upbringing and exposure and experience, though relatively limited, have fashioned a still conservative outlook and behaviour; and also because after six and a half decades, I know how to relate to both decent and misguided youth (do I dare decide what’s “misguided” these days?).

Next, I write against the background of still continuous need and indebtedness. This places me squarely within the vast majority of the working-class and easily facilitates understanding of their various plights. However, a poor, powerless but proud upbringing determines that I do not accept that dire need and challenges necessitate crime, wrong-doing. I guess that that personal position has to do with old time moral values. Hence today’s main offering.

Values and virtues – lost!

Right smack-dab amidst the “exploitative colonialism” of the British in the colony of BG, wherein their religious, constitutional, Governmental, civic and cultural institutions were meant to produce pliant colonials, the more decent among my generation of the forties and fifties ended up with a sense of reasonable moral behavior and values.

Right and wrong had little space to manoeuvre or exploit in between. My Roman Catholic primary school teachers, my neighbours and a grandmother with some “loving” colonial misconceptions, but tons of practical commonsense and old-time honesty, all combined to fashion in me–and thousands of us-– the values and virtues which dictated restraint and reasoning, among other desirable elements of behavioural rectitude.

Funny that my lifelong brush with Christian theology has not resulted in full understanding or my becoming an active Christian. What the most elementary religious and moral education did for me-–and our thousands-–however, included the love and fear of God-–who or wherever He was. That translated into accepting that there was right and wrong–-according to Holy Books, Man’s rules and laws-–and grandparent’s rulings. So what has happened since? To end in today’s break-down? Our loss of innocence?

Age, models, other causes…

A combination of ills, obviously. Take a simple but significant factor like age (and all that it connotes, normally).

“Guyanese Parents” between 25 and 40 were born between 1969 and 1984. Who governed the country then? What would/could have been the life-experiences of these “new” parents and Guyanese? Think of the various role models they have grown up with-–at the highest levels. I-–and my thousands-– survived the racial early sixties when Jagan was ousted; the stealing of the people’s will through rigged elections; the commodities’ bans and restrictions which criminalized even me, when I needed black-market flour and milk for my younger ones.

Probably because of the old schools, the Cubs, Brownies, Scouts, Guides, Red Cross, St John ‘s Ambulance, Glee Clubs, Drama Societies, grandparents, church, mandir, mosque, many of us did not succumb to becoming criminal-minded, corrupt or absolutely selfish. But today’s generation of parents see criminality flourishing over hard honest toil; they see hypocrisy of judges, police, pastors supporting-–knowingly or unwittingly-–enterprises established by unconvicted crooks. Today’s under–40 Guyanese know limited arts, music, moral benchmarks and look out for themselves only.

The politics of daily disagreements and relative hopelessness where a small clique thrives through crooked contracts and insider trading etc, all fashion a more ruthless type of Guyanese, I submit. Consider that writers, when you write of “Guyanese parents…”, “Guyanese drivers… Guyanese knowing only Jamaican Dance Hall music… Guyanese teachers” or even when speaking about “our collective sense of decency”. Analyse us! Those between 18 and 40 and those over – 60. But wait!

My generation’s faults?

Bert would always jeer me when we discussed the excesses of the PNC back then. “What has your generation given me, Allan?” he would dare. (Of course he has survived to see some happenings today which make Mr. Burnham’s crooks look like handicapped angels!)

But yes, “every generation gets the youth it deserves” they say. The good adults of the sixties turned their eyes and minds the other way. Adults stole, adults imported and exported narcotics and sold the alcohol; adults allowed the national service to compromise the good it achieved; adults owned the media; adults stole the votes and the savings and influenced today’s 40-year-olds. I plead guilty!

So what is to be done? Amidst today’s contemporary external and home-grown predicaments. You assist me ‘til later.

New Guyanese “Americans”

If you live legally in the USA after being born in Guyana, I respect your choice. I understand why – especially these days. (I’ll hold the fort here in GT!). To become a paper, documented citizen, I see on the USCIS sources, what you had to learn, internalise.

I suspect that many of you really care little about those crucial bits of American history and style of government. From Georgetown I find them fascinating however. So do this for me, Guyanese Americans – when you find a little time: Find out the names of six leaders of the Berbice 1763 Slave Rebellion; two pioneers of the Guyanese Labour Movement who were of Indian ancestry; who discovered Kaieteur Falls; that was good about Burnham’s 1980 Constitution; why we in Guyana can’t have a proper national register or local government elections up to now.

Why? Because I know how the American Bill of Rights came about. I know too: who was Patrick Henry; why there are congressmen and senators; why the Pilgrims settled in America and not Holland and why they eventually fought for independence (1776, 1781, 1783) Hey! Could I make a good American citizen?

How I admire that country – with all its faults – but no my funny pride won’t allow me.

Just Imagine….

*1) 8290 Guyanese became “naturalized” Americans in 2008. Thousands more are legal “aliens” and yet thousands of others are not yet counted. Yes, I understand…

*2) I saw in Sunday’s Kaieteur News a story about alleged cocaine in corilla. Wow! Have you ever heard about cocaine in pumpkins or watermelons?

*3) Congrats Carifta games winners. Small mercies. Associations, start fund-raising now!

*4) I was touched to see Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant shed genuine tears for a near and dear Afro-American HBO colleague who died suddenly. Oh the Human Spirit!

*5) What do the media and the uninformed public do when government does not respond to reasonable, legitimate queries?
‘Til Next Week.

Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com