Three sets of comments surfaced in response to ‘Guyanese bloggers should return home’ (SN, November 27). They were: 1) offence at “clueless”; 2) resistance to “return home”; and 3) disagreement over “first class citizens.” I share my thinking and experiences on each.
To be brutally candid, there are some of the clueless around. They latch on to peripherals; lose sight of main points; and are at sea in terms of embedded nuances, inferences, and extrapolations, among the finer points within a position and the language. Too often, and too easily, some have adorned themselves in a believed badge of honour to bash Messrs Jagdeo or Corbin or others needlessly. Objectivity and credibility are both lost when (for some), there is only the machismo of identifying with what Guyanese term, ‘haul off and pelt a lash.’ To these folks, I say that this is serious business, and great care should be taken to understand what is presented and what is at stake.
The responses to ‘return home’ were enlightening. I heard the equivalent of: “not me” and “you have to be mad” and “I must be crazy.” Still, this call is best illustrated through the prism of life. To many Guyanese, leaving was a temporary move. This aligned closely with that peculiar Caribbean mentality of going elsewhere and making a stake to facilitate return on one’s own terms. It is a unique mentality. It is why self-inflicted death marches are endured over and over. Through decades of struggle and sacrifice, this objective is always present, and it never dims. As MacArthur said to describe his life, it was: “the Corps, the Corps, the Corps”; similarly for some Guyanese, it has been: “Guyana, Guyana, Guyana.” This has been the reality for some.
Many are the others who would like to, but cannot because of force of circumstances. So they sit by their own River of Babylon and weep when they remember Georgetown. But, there is still another group of Guyanese that fancies itself as full fledged (and fully accepted) members of their adopted environments, which segues nicely into the issue of first-class citizens.
Select any advanced society and take a real close look at the picture. Years of study, effort, and production all lead to the trappings of success: the corporate ladder, a German sedan, a castle, and clusters of capitalized letters behind the surname. No one should question the realization of quantity, it speaks for itself, and loudly.
But dare anyone ask that other question – the question of quality? I do so now through even more questions.
Is the temperature in the boardroom the same when you are there? Are the conversations missing an indefinable something? How about genuineness; or being strained, or forced, or too polite? Are you the only one of your kind?
What about the clubs and communities? Does your presence dilute exclusivity? What about promotions overdue and other minorities denied?
Having given our all and gained the world, did we lose our souls in the process? Is it just possible that amidst the plenty that we have grown contented with being second tier, and not good enough? So much so that we ignore the stigma of ‘foreign,’ our paper origins, and we are not the genuine article?
The point is simple: no matter how much gained or how far advanced by dint of dedication, the prize always rings a tad hollow. That, at best, a foreigner – and especially a coloured one – will always be relegated to something less than first class. Some will say that second (or fourth or fifth) elsewhere is infinitely better than first in Guyana.
I remind them of the incredible accuracy of words and experiences associated with Black athletes.
It is where they have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition, and for less reward. If this occurs in the full public glare of television and a rabid sports culture, what happens in the closed circuit cultures of corporations and real estate, among others?
Let there be no mistake: Guyana has problems – grave, long-standing, intractable. They can be overcome. Society can be exasperating and overwhelming, also can be overcome. I close by paraphrasing some ringing words of yore: my fellow Guyanese, ask not what Guyana can do for you, but what you can do for Guyana… Now, I go my way.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
