Dear Editor,
Donald Trump could be politically successful here. He would find crowd(s) to which he can play; he can titillate and unnerve receptive listeners with his barbs at deep-seated phobias, inclusive of colour, religion, and foreign hordes. I can visualize this crude experiment, and cruder presence gaining much traction without much effort.
I urge the sceptical to look at it this way: the man is irresistible to certain groups. They are the smoothly lacquered racists (my best friends are…); the silky sophisticates (all smiles and charm, and crooning about law and order (or is it social cohesion?)); and the unreconstructed nativists (this land is my land; who let these people in?). Clearly, Mr Trump’s mind and algorithms are in the wrong places and appeal to the old-time diehards, red meat rightists, and eurocentric bigots. There are parallel kinds of centric(s) and hardcore bigots here in abundance. There is no need to look hard or far; they are in both high and low places. It is why I posit that the Republican frontrunner could gain a vast following locally. He can play to receptive audiences overloaded with the ignorant, suspicious, and fearful. Too many likeminded citizens are present whose vulnerabilities can be easily exploited. And don’t forget the known Guyanese weakness for things foreign. Oh yeah…welcome, sir! Do make yourself at home.
Now while many may view his behaviour and positions as a model of political incorrectness, I judge him to be the latest in an illustrious line of Republican political craftsmen. There was GHW Bush (Willie Horton and Clarence Thomas); Richard Nixon (states’ rights champion, which is really code for keeping people in their places and respect for their betters); and Ronald Reagan (who never saw a civil rights gain that he did not want to reverse). The frightening thing is that if he cleans up his act, he could go all the way, and end up on the extreme right of Reagan, if not Genghis Khan.
So now there is Trump, except that he is in Guyana. He would deport the Brazilians (and Chinese); threaten that Bolivarian regime; apprehend the domestic political welfare kings and queens; banish the assortment of reds and pinks; and marginalize any group not obtaining his approval. I think he would be a winner for anyone who believes that he has a losing cause (or is a loser).
But there is a hard, dark side to this man, which is a reflection of what was seen and heard from some local mandarins earlier this year publicly, and perennially privately. While I appreciate political incorrectness, there is neither patience nor tolerance for when it crosses over into bigotry, and demagoguery. Because of these now commonplace things here, and with Mr Trump being the unabashed standard bearer for such cringing incivilities, I say let us invite him to relocate here, and to run for office. He will do well. Guaranteed.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall