Dear Editor
Since my initial statement in the wake of President Jagdeo’s visit to Buxton there has understandably been a vigorous discussion in the media. Unfortunately most of the commentators, particularly those who support the ruling party, have either missed the real issues I sought to highlight or have completely avoided them. They have reduced the discourse to whether the President has the right to visit Buxton, whether Buxtonions should accept government help to aid the reconstruction of their village or whether by turning up to listen and speak to the President, Buxtonions have rejected the political opposition and the likes of David Hinds. I am not surprised by the sidestepping of the real issue even by some who expressed support of my stance.
It is an uncomfortable issue – it is about racial pride in a situation where two races measure their success or failure against each other. It’s about racial imagery. It’s about racial surrender and racial conquering. The President’s visit has political consequences and in Guyana the political is primarily racial. I know politicians don’t pay much attention to culture, but that does not take away from its importance.
I could not be opposed to the right of the President to visit Buxton or the right of Buxtonions to access government funds.
I clearly affirmed my support for these principles in my statement. The Minister of Agriculture’s several visits to the village have not been met with my disapproval or that of anyone in the opposition. Everybody knows that I protested the fact that the President or the Prime Minister did not attend the opening ceremony or any of the Emancipation activities in the village.
So what are the real issues I am raising? There are two major ones which are both grounded in the defence of African dignity and honour. First, I am contending that if the President wants to disburse funds to Buxton or any other village he should do so in an atmosphere of respect for the dignity of the receivers.
Everyone knows that when you are giving something to someone you try to avoid making that person look like a beggar. The President is not disbursing his money; he is distributing our collective patrimony. So, as the one with the authority to do so, he should take care not to make those who seek such funds look small.
The image of him entering the village with pomp and ceremony while the powerless villagers cheer, bow down and hail him is not an uplifting image for African Guyanese. It reinforces the imagery of the past. The President should have said no thanks to those who suggested that kind of visit, however politically tempting it was.
I am in total sympathy with my fellow villagers who turned out to welcome and talk to the President. They were being courteous. They wanted to talk to the boss. Sometimes when you are down and out, as Buxton is, you are immediately oblivious to the way in which you bend over backwards or forwards to plead your case. But those who know the plight of the downtrodden should not take advantage of it. That is exactly what President Jagdeo did – he took political advantage of a people who are tired of their marginalization, demonization and dispossession – an act that could have cultural consequences for the victims. I don’t think he did so because he is a racist, but because he saw an opportunity to score points over his political opponents and to maybe eke out a few votes here and there. The President, after all is a political animal, not a philanthropist or an aid worker. My contention, however, is that there is something insensitive and immoral to use your authority to take advantage of the vulnerability of your opposite ethnic group for political purposes.
If you are concerned about the pride and dignity of your race, as some of us are, you would be appalled at the performance of those Buxtonions who hailed the chief, but you would indict, as we did, those who organized it and those who took advantage of it. The President did not have to go to Buxton to announce his government’s aid to the village. By his own testimony he had already signed off on the projects. He had been meeting with Brother Emboya who reported to us at a meeting that the funds were already allocated. So the only reason he came to Buxton was to play ‘Father-giver’ for the consumption of his party and the Indian triumphalists.
This brings me to the second issue. If the President so badly wanted to come to Buxton why did he not do like all other political parties and organize his own public meeting? No, why do that when you can find a couple of gullible or near-sighted Africans, to do it for you? Why did the leaders of the 170th anniversary committee take the President to Buxton when they already got what they wanted? Because they wanted to show how grateful they are. They took him, they dressed up their children, they paid the drummers, they mobilized some people and they presented them. That is a shameful act for a Tipperary Hall and a few million dollars. Is that what Buxtonions and African Guyanese are worth? Black history is pregnant with instances of leaders selling the dignity of our people. I do not for one moment believe those leaders set out to sell their people’s dignity, but through a combination of manipulation by political operatives and their own political naiveté, that’s what they ended up doing.
They unwittingly organized a political meeting for the PPP to launch its election campaign. They gave them an unfair advantage over their opponents. They welcomed the PPP into the bosom of African Guyanese who have been reduced to semi-serfdom under the PPP’s watch. In the process they have contributed immensely to the affirmation of African accomodationism and its attendant inferiority complex. One thousand Tipperary Halls cannot compensate for the dignity of a people.
The President’s visit must be seen as a manifestation of racial and political imagery. In a racial context, images matter. The image of the Indian boss with all the money and power and the African lining up to beg for help is not what we want to hold up to our children and young people. The whole thing represents a serious blow to African dignity. It is that which I object to. Not the President’s visit, but the context and the sub-text of the visit. Just read the triumphalism of the Chronicle and the Indian triumphalist blogs and you will understand my concerns. They are falling over themselves in celebration of Jagdeo, the conquering hero, walking into the lion’s den and taming him with a few millions and a hall. The image of power is now Indian and that of powerless beggars is African. Do we see the residents of Indian villages lining up in school halls begging the President to fund projects? No, they don’t have to do that. President Jagdeo will not subject them to that. And more importantly, their local leaders will not subject them to that indignity.
I hope the Buxton leaders are reading the Chronicle and the blogs. I hope they are seeing how they are being described. The PPP understands what I am getting at. Read their statement carefully. They did not get into the foolishness of me not want-ing the President to visit Buxton. I wanted him to come as a guest of Buxton, not as a Father-giver. The PPP knows what I am fighting. ACDA, WPA, Bro Eusi, Freddie Kissoon, Tacuma Ogunseye and Lincoln Lewis know what I am protesting. Yes the episode is political and economic but most importantly it is racial-cultural. The African Guyanese cultural psyche has been dealt a severe blow. Those Indians who are celebrating ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Yours faithfully,
David Hinds
