Dear Editor,
A man from the inside wrote his heart in a farewell letter to his leader and commander-in-chief. He sets an example for us here to rise up, call things as they are, and call out the people responsible in hard clear terms. And then walk away with head held high, and dignity and self-respect intact.
It is not easy to separate from lifelong ambitions. It might be the dream job with all the privileges that come with such; or access to those who can bestow favours, longevity, prosperity; or the prestige that accompanies being an integral part of the power structure; or the exercise of that power itself without regard for accountability or consequences. But I submit that no job, no access, no prestige, and no amount of power is worth the prostrating of oneself for the cheap successes and contemptuous recognition that come with the embrace of those leaders who make a sweet living using others for their reckless destructive objectives. At least none of that matters to some of us, a dwindling few of us. Soon-to-be former US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis made clear that the job, as mouthwatering as it was, could be taken and given to someone else (anyone else) who would be willing to dance the required jigs when the strings are pulled. Long gone is my thinking that there are/were a few men here in political Guyana, who didn’t give a damn, who were constitutionally capable of simply walking away and leave all that behind. Clearly, there are those who do not mind the personal humiliation that is part of such associations; the loss of identity, of face, or of self by being mentioned in the same breath with what is detested and found disfiguring. So, they stay. They wait for the blessing of a pat on bowed head. They are content.
In addition, it is not easy to challenge the tide; so bright men, men thought of as strong shrink through fear to question the nakedness and the ugliness. There is too much of a fevered surrounding cast of the worshipful: nativist, tribal, boisterous that can be overwhelming. Look at America. Then look at Guyana. As Milton did remind, the devil was the fairest one created. A world of mischief has followed. To satisfy the baser instincts and insistent cravings, there is mongering and pandering. Give the crowd what it wants; it is free and risk-free to the instigator. It is also provocative and perilous. But who is there to restrain? To point out the error of ways and strategies and visions? A historic group (like it or lump it) reels from the rot of the head. The tail is spasmodic; too many cowering; too many silent. There are too many hanging-on the shirttails and riding what is believed to be a wave to something. They miscalculate: because even in winning, there is losing. Pyrrhic victories, be they the miracle of no-confidence motion or whatever would follow. Silence it is; and kowtowing too from those who might have made a difference, who sacrificed for something greater than self. There is only the priority of political self-preservation and the continued probability of personal prospects in the schemes of power.
One after the other, ranking men and a few women over there on top of the world take their leave: rushed, corrosive, bitter, and hurtful. They start over with whatever is left. Here in tortured Guyana, spineless men watch their history, their memory, their story rewritten in the poisonous, the ugly, and the capricious. And still they linger in betrayal of self and all that is altruistic (even pragmatic) so that they can have a shot at the pot of gold promised at the rainbow’s end. Meanwhile, and for now, whatever pieces of silver can be scrounged will be found acceptable. So they betray believers; they submerge intellect; they live to remain in the running. It is all that matters. Who would want to be near that? In America, it is why honourable men and women move on. They can’t go quickly enough to wash the taint and stench from being so close. In Guyana, the unspeakable is pretended to be embraceable. So they stay. They wait. A handout is promised and will come in due time. It is becoming more and more apparent that this country is blessed with an abundance of boneless political wonders. They cannot stand for anything or against anything without the great risk of falling down or falling apart.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
