If this year’s National Awards were to include a category for political longevity, you would have to think hard to come up with a serious rival to His Worship the Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green. Half a century and a good deal more in politics is surely more than enough to make Hammie the people’s unanimous choice and even if a handful of political operators of his generation can be found here and there, none, most assuredly, have reinvented themselves more times, over and over, in an effort to remain relevant. In fact, if there are any in the Mayor’s age group still breathing they are most likely confined to rocking chairs or else, bed-ridden. Mind you, the National Awards Committee may wish to consider that a National Award may be just the thing to make Hammie go away.
Quite how Comrade Green has not yet managed to land a book deal is a mystery. After all who better to chronicle the long and torturous history of the PNC/PPP fight-down for power that has retarded Guyana’s growth or to bare all about the Burnham era including the naked truth about if and when and how elections were rigged. None of us have our life spans in our hands and the political historians and publishers have a duty to get into Hammie’s head before he passes on. After all, this sage of Guyanese politics was there at Burnham’s right hand, through good times and bad even though it has to be said that he failed to win Burnham’s anointing as his successor.
Amazing character that he is, however, Hammie took his blows, came up with the GGG and pinched the mayoralty of the capital from under the nose of the PNC. One thing or another has kept him there and if his tenure as Mayor has yielded nothing to talk about – if, of course, you exclude the transformation of the Garden City into the Garbage City and the transformation of Le Repentir into an environmental nightmare – at least Hammie has been able to give Keys to the City to visiting high officials, travel to foreign capitals at expenses that he has not had to bear and sound off about one thing or another in the media.
The GGG, of course, proved to be a one-day wonder. In fact, it was never really intended to be anything more. Hammie tried, however; he did try. No one, however, took serious notice of his entirely forgettable urging that the nation embark on a moral and spiritual revival though a few did wonder whether that might have been a sign that he was about to embark on yet another career, this time in the pastorhood. After all, the returns from the collection plate is proving to be quite a lucrative entrepreneurial venture for many others who have abandoned failed careers in one pursuit or another to take up preaching. There are those who feel too that Hammy might have earned considerable success at preaching funeral sermons and administering last rites.
But men of the cloth – except of course for Bishop Juan Edghill – don’t make the news very often and Hammie is all about making the news, maintaining a public profile. Last year, he attempted to set a record. It was announced that the resilient former Prime Minister was to become the oldest contestant ever for presidential candidature; and if few people took the announcement seriously it at least won him a few column inches in the media.
Hammie soldiers on. He has managed to outlast quite a few of his detractors at City Hall and when some of his own Councillors tried to take him down in a no-confidence vote recently, he cast the attempt to truncate his political career to one side like the survivor that he is.
Mind you, Hammie may still have some way to go. It should not be forgotten that he has now mended fences with the PNC and that there may well be offerings up for grabs this year. Some people say they like the sound of Regional Chairman Hamilton Bilal Green.
