Dear Editor,
As this election campaign winds down, what stands out is that it was not the silly season, as is customarily anticipated; it became a time of the most shameless incitement and race-baiting.
Many well-intentioned citizens and other observers have joined with diplomatic representatives and GECOM to express alarm at a campaign that has emitted so much vitriol.
What is ominous is not just the excesses of misrepresentation and duplicity, a universal feature of campaigns, but the calculated and dangerous projection of the military, some in retirement and others in office, assaulting innocent civilians in the event of a Coalition victory; the emotive reminders of “kicking down the doors” is on mark. All of this was in the open and, abandoning euphemistic niceties, the language was as coarse and explicit as can be.
Leading this incitement were, are, the former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, and the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, with little intimation of distance in tone or sophistication from President Ramotar. From these high presidential offices that are due considerable respect, issue language that leaves no doubt of the concerted manipulation of the expectations, suspicions and timidities of sections of the electorate that can only set in train forces which may not be anticipated, become unwieldy and destructive.
After twenty-three years of observation and research, as Dr Luncheon claimed, he presented his magnum opus to the nation under the rubric: “Connect the dots”. His thesis, the crux of the incitement offensive, is that an immediately retired Chief of Staff “comporting” with the leader of the Opposition, the respected, also retired Brigadier David Granger, along with other retired officers, leads to the “militarization” of the opposition leadership and compromises “the integrity of the security forces”: simply put, this constitutes a threat to the security of the state.
Alas, some dots are missing, particularly those dealing with Brig Granger’s urbane and scholarly writings over the said twenty-three years about the defence and security of the state, the imperatives of reforms of the Disciplined Services, modernization of the physical capability of the GDF and its continuing exposure to advanced tactical techniques so as to execute effectively its mission. Alongside, there are the proliferation of illegal and heavy weaponry; their increasing lethal use among the citizenry; the inability or disinclination to complete and operate a credible anti-narcotics strategy; the burgeoning authority of narcotic players in the financial life of the nation; the resultant distortion of the economy; the insidious corruption acknowledged by major financial institutions; the said Office of the President “comporting” ( man, I like that word) with a number of individuals resident in the US who have come under the embrace of US law, one of whom is a guest of the Federal Penal system to be shortly joined by another upon completion of his plea bargain; and the consequences of the unsolved murders of over 450 citizens. These are real and growing threats to the security of the society of which the Army is an integral part. As if the foregoing were not enough, there is now the ongoing cavalier sullying of the integrity of high-ranking retired officers, with unquestioned loyal service to the nation during the said twenty-three years. This is madness!
Amidst the din and examination of well crafted manifestos, though not without the recycled and unfulfilled promises; amidst the polemics about past history, meaning selected and distorted aspects of the Burnham years exclusive of the pre-Burnham and the restorative Hoyte years where Mr Carl Greenidge made an incalculable contribution: incidentally, it was Mr Hoyte who brought an abrupt end to the kick down the door outrage by the controversial reinstitution of capital punishment, I juxtapose two simultaneous incidents as a measure of character and hope.
The former Minister Bheri Ramsaran’s verbal mal-treatment of Ms Sherlina Nageer, a young, courageous, combative and selfless campaigner for human rights, has been well exposed. Condemnation of his threat, inter alia, to slap her and have her stripped has been widespread and it took eight days for the President to “relieve him”. A writer, Mr Sase Singh, has reminded that to strip a person is the “most evil and un-Hindu of acts.” Further, to slap a person, for which the Office of the President has developed a peculiar fascination, is a most humiliating experience.
At the other end, at that exhilarating public Women’s rally on Women’s issues convened by the Coalition, Ms Vanessa Kissoon, at odds with the leadership of her party, could say to Ms Sandra Granger, the wife of the Leader of the party and Presidential candidate: “I have your back, Sandra”. That vignette of solace and comradeship, rooted in the earliest of Biblical obligations about being your brother’s keeper, sister’s in this instance, was that ray of hope in this dark campaign.
The contrasting narratives further expose some unappealing cultural influences; another Minister’s public conduct and the existing trend of vilification, feral blasts and disrespect for adversaries among some holders of high offices that is eroding the very respect that these high officers believe they are due.
Not only has the Opposition “stymied” the administration’s development plans, as has been claimed, there are also the continuing censorious/unflattering reports of the international financial and other institutions that have highlighted the high incidence of corruption and its deleterious effect on democracy, the rule of law, and the security and quality of life; most have been speedily rejected by the administration.
They included the US Department of State reports on Human Rights practices, trafficking in persons, child labour and prostitution; Department of State on Investment Climate Statements—Guyana, 2014; the World Economic Forum—Global Competitiveness, Guyana, 2013-2014; World Bank-Doing business, Guyana, 2014; UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues (an African-American woman) which encountered such ferocity and discourtesy; the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council; Transparency International on Corruption; World Health on suicide; and the Latin American Public Opinion Report. Small wonder that the large and costly projects on stream involve essentially bilateral partners and obtain at best lukewarm support from the international financial institutions. Here lies the breeding ground for the enveloping corruption and fraud.
One report that is eye-catching, following its hurried and panicky removal from perusal, is that on the money laundering scandal by the Swiss branch of the British bank, HSBC, which encouraged clients to conceal large sums of money in secret Swiss accounts to avoid paying tax. When the scandal was first broached in mid February by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the list of countries included Guyana holding a single account shared by two clients, one with a Guyana passport, and the other a non-Guyana passport, probably a spouse. The account was opened in 2000 and was active at February 2015. Weeks later, in March, the link to Guyana was removed and the information is unavailable at the present time.
A reasoned choice ought to hold dearly some principles: full respect for the Constitution; the rule of law and its spirit; parliamentary procedures; transparency and accountability; our common humanity; our intelligence; all citizens, many of whom are described as hyphenated Guyanese; women, senior citizens and youth; the right to collective bargaining; lastly, consummate leadership to steer through the corridors of hate, resentment and the cumbersome baggage of our history beyond the fiftieth anniversary, emerging renewed, reconciled and inspired.
Desmond Tutu has put it thus: “My humanity is bound up in yours; we can only be human together”. To guide us safely through this gathering turbulence, upholding our dignity and respect as a nation, demands vision, commitment and integrity. I believe that the leadership of the Coalition under Brigadier David Granger and Mr Moses Nagamootoo offers the best opportunity. Accordingly, I will vote for my humanity. I will vote for the Coalition APNU+AFC.
Yours faithfully,
Cedric L Joseph
