Dear Editor,
I was most impressed with a discourse given by Liberty and Justice Party leader Lenox Shuman on Saturday afternoon in Richmond Hill, Queens. It was the first time I heard Mr. Shuman give a live political speech. His remarks and body language, pitch and delivery were all good and the hallmarks of a decent politician, a man of integrity and decency.
He was very articulate, well-spoken, learned, knowledgeable on issues, direct, forceful, clear, concise, sharp, grammatically correct, coherent, balanced, versatile, quick-witted and eloquent in his remarks. It seemed to me that Shuman had a very sound educational background and was someone who read a lot because he was familiar with economics and political terms. He also displayed background knowledge in sociology (race relations) and anthropology (of Amerindian communities. And he is well versed in Guyana’s history and geography. And Shuman had an attractive voice. It makes you want to listen to him unlike some politicians whose voice you would prefer not to hear – boring.
Shuman was so different from other Guyanese politicians I heard in Guyana and in the diaspora. He did not say what he thought people wanted to hear to fool them as career politicians do. But he spoke from the heart of what he sees as the most critical problems in Guyana and how they should be addressed. He did not bury the race problem under the carpet, and in fact said racism and corruption are the two elephants (biggest problems) that he feels are holding back Guyana’s development. Unlike other politicians who tend to avoid addressing these two intractable problems, Shuman addressed them head-on. And he charged both major parties with playing the race card and condoning corruption and of violating the constitution. If given a chance, he will stamp out corruption and take measures to end race politics. He will adhere to the tenets of the constitution. And he supports major constitutional reform.
He talked about the problems facing indigenous communities. He showed how marginalized and neglected are Amerindian communities, and he offered some ideas how to tackle this problem – building cheap accessible infrastructure to link the hinterland with the coast and creating jobs for them. He noted that Amerindians and East Indians have the highest poverty rate in Guyana with East Indians constituting the largest number of Guyanese living in poverty. He said the government should not have closed the sugar estates until there were alternatives to provide jobs for those who would be unemployed. He also chastised the PPP for not taking measures to modernize GuySuCo and or adopting creative measures to save the industry and or providing lands to the sugar workers to engage in agro industries. He supports land reforms to help former sugar workers get into agro industries. He feels the private sector should be empowered to address major problems facing the country. He also said that government has no business in running businesses. Government should facilitate business (with appropriate infrastructure) and not compete with business or get into business. He suggested ideas of employment creation and on enabling the poorer classes to own small businesses.
Shuman gave a lot of food for thought on why Guyanese should vote for him. He describes himself and his party as a true balance of power. And he has committed that he will never betray voters unlike another party that promised to be a balance of power force but betrayed those who supported it.
As someone pointed out, at no time were there scuffles or arguments in the room unlike when other parties held political meetings. Shuman listened to all views and he respected all opinions. He answered all questions. He censored or silenced no one. The audience was allowed to engage him. There was a give and take. No one was put out the room. The audience was impressed with his presence with some pointing out that he is not the typical run-of-the-mill politician who seeks to deceive listeners. Some in the audience like his plan for Guyana and like the idea of his party or other minor parties denying the two behemoths a majority in parliament. They like the idea of minor parties serving as a balance of power and expressed their disappointment that the AFC has betrayed the spirit of the idea of a balance of power. They invited Shuman to return to New York for a follow up exchange and some committed to raising funds for him.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
