Independence. Republicanism. During the February months of 2012 and 2013, the Central Mashramani Planning Committee agreed that I should respond to requests to discuss basic aspects of Republicanism and the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion with post-primary school students in three Regions of our Independent Republic.
Oh boy! Was I disappointed so extremely, as to be also embarrassed over what too many of our fourteen-to-sixteen year-olds did not know about the two historical events and concepts. It is not my turn to embarrass any teachers here, but to use the utter surprise at my discovery to share my (rather negative) views on the first two words of my first paragraph at the top. (After all we are a mere fifteen (15) days away from another Republic Day.)
Independence? Status?
Putting aside the various Lancaster House wranglings when the local political leaders journeyed to Britain to “negotiate” our political independence with our departing colonial masters, there was, in fact, consensus here that the territory of British Guiana should become the new sovereign State of Guyana.
Today’s sixty-and-seventy-somethings who were not seized with the pride and patriotism in 1966 could be now excused for lamenting the loss of certain “colonial/British” standards and moral values. However, apart from the ambitions and struggles of the Jagans and the Burnhams for “freedom”, there was no way that Britain would have held on to most of her one-time colonies. Her “Empire” was not viable as existed then – in the sixties.
Like most of Guyana, I, a young teacher in 1966, harboured reasonable expectations after May’s Independence with our own anthem, symbols and leaders. The Golden Arrowhead being raised at the United Nations was something else! However my fellow citizens of this independent Sovereign State, nearly half of a century after 1966, Frankly Speaking I am woefully disappointed in where Independence and Republicanism have placed us. From early progress to setbacks to stagnation to backwardness, our political managers have provided us with migration to diminish even our very population! You name twenty other societal, (non-) developmental ills that have blighted your homeland. Whether you live here or not.
Every time our recent/current governments publicise and trumpet triumphs at the opening of projects and new services or programmes, my nearly-seventy-year old cynicism tells me that that event has been overdue by two or three decades! And you-all mark well; No one State could ever be truly economically independent in today’s global village.
Inter-dependence, dreams deferred
Even within a “friendly” but competitive trading bloc, a region, some economic group of nations, no country is an island existing on its own. Trade/aid is the inter-dependent life blood of all nations.
Thirty-three years ago, I was attracted to the vision the late Dr Ptolemy Reid presented to the United Nations General Assembly. Though his vision seemingly evaporated into a dream, he recognized the reality of global inter-dependence.
In part, said he: “It must certainly be to our advantage that this meeting will be taking place against the background of an increasing realization and acknowledgement of the interdependent nature of the world in which we live. Let me hasten to add however, that the interdependence I speak of is not the one that was born and nurtured in the systemic context of subordination and dependent relationships; for that was an interdependence between the exploiter and the exploited; between the rich man and Lazarus; one which saw the distribution of the results of that relationship skewed in favour of the powerful.
“A present danger is a lingering desire on the part of some to maintain such a patently unjust relationship. The emerging interdependence, and certainly the one to which we aspire, must be premised on the principles of equality and justice and an equitable distribution of the gains derived from it. We have a dynamic conception of an interdependent world, an inter-dependence which is symmetric and is based on mutual benefit and mutual respect.”
Words and hopes articulated but the global economy of wealthy greed and imperialistic survival and domination have make Ptolemy Reid’s vision a nightmarish dream today.
So as we “celebrate” another year of independent Republicanism, recalling when the British gladly handed over Constitutional instruments, I suppose Guyana’s youth who will remain here are entitled still to their dreams deferred. Some of those would be: the continuation of peaceful non-violent co-existence among our groups; employment created by a new coastal road network; lasting modern bridges across various rivers; local governance monitoring and determining community projects; an empowered and recognized Civil Society; “collaborative” effective trade unionism; clean communities; a reformed energized Police Force capable of dealing with illegal guns and domestic violence among its crime challenges.
That’s my summarized list of Dreams – what’s yours?
The Court, the majority
Even if I wanted to contribute to the Chang CJ/Budget cuts debate, I feel “too late” and pre-empted by so many eloquent media submissions earlier in the week.
So I reduce myself to very basic observations: if a Court interprets the Constitution should its findings/rulings, always be unchallenged dictum? And even if higher Courts uphold earlier decisions and the greater good becomes victim, the law, the Constitution must be changed!
Whilst I recognize that the majority must also consider the welfare of the minority, modern-day judgments should recognize current socio-economic and cultural realities. Oh, how this debate points to the need for urgent constitutional reform.
I conclude with a provocative excerpt from Henry Jeffrey on Wednesday: “What this episode has reminded us of is that courts are constituted of people with all their prejudices and interests and that to reduce bias, important matters such as this should, even in the first stages, be assigned to a panel and not left to a single person. Secondly, where possible, when subsequent events can be affected by an instant decision, rules should be made to ensure that that decision is given in sufficient time to allow for appeals to be heard.”
By the way, who constitutes Guyana’s constitutional court?
We must ponder…
*1) Even with their disconnect with “Mashramani”, some groups and communities allow their children to perform at the National Cultural Centre. Not to walk-and-wine publicly on Republic Day.
*2) The Civil Defence Commission is doing something today. I challenge a young journalist to do a comprehensive feature on this body. Please?
*3) Yes it’s true! Guyana now imports clay blocks!
Til next week!
(Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
