Thoughts about the end of the world have troubled my mind over the last couple of weeks. The end not by way of a nuclear bomb decimating the planet or the sky opening and the wicked sinking beneath the earth while the righteous rise, but the end of life as we know it. Restrictions on freedom of movement. Depopulation as disease spreads leading to a world of zombies. The air being so polluted resulting in people dropping dead. We have seen people drop dead in China in recent times, but maybe my imagination is too vivid. I do not enjoy entertaining such thoughts, but while in self-isolation for the most part, the fears and warnings about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have resulted in this.
When 2020 began, I would have never imagined that three months into the year this is where we would be. I used to think that if there were ever an apocalypse, it would not occur in my lifetime. During this self-isolation, I have read about and listened to conspiracy theories about plans to depopulate the world because seven billion is too many people on this planet, according to those who believe they have been given the mandate to control what happens in this world. Some question if the coronavirus will lead to something deadlier.
The coronavirus is a large family of viruses, which can cause illnesses in humans and animals. COVID-19 is said to come with symptoms such as fever, tiredness, dry cough, aches and pain, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and diarrhea. It is said that most people will recover, but one is six who become infected will become seriously ill. People with underlying medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes are more likely to develop serious complications, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
So far, in Guyana we have five cases, including one death. The woman who died had travelled from New York a few days before she died. Some of her relatives have since tested positive. All over the world now people in public are choosing to wear masks in an effort to avoid infection. We are told that we should not touch our faces and often wash or sanitize our hands. Vitamin C is recommended to strengthen our immune systems. Social distancing has isolated many of us from friends and family. Schools are closed and so are the airports. Many people are working from home and some offices have implemented shifts. In the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak I said that every few years a disease surfaces up that threatens to kill us all and then the noise quiets and it seems to disappear. Many are hoping that the coronavirus will follow the same trend.
But while the world grapples with the COVID-19, our Guyana not only faces that crisis, but we continue to face a political crisis. More than two weeks after the general and regional elections, no final declaration has been made and the nation has never been so divided in my lifetime.
As accusations of rigging are heard from both major political parties, and we play hopscotch in and out of the court with injunctions to recount votes and such, while conspiracies about the reason for our condition abound, we are hurting each other. It will be a while before we completely heal from this period, if ever. But it also reminds us that perhaps we never healed from past hurts like the period of disturbance in the 1960s, the Burnham era and the Jagdeo era.
I know that after the events of the last couple of weeks, I am forever changed. My perception about many of my fellow Guyanese and what they believe about other groups of people has forever changed. I am hurt and angry that we have allowed ourselves to become political pawns. The vulnerabilities and ignorance of the people is being exploited. There are those who do not mind this dark time because it is part of their agenda. There are those who would rather see gallons of blood painting our streets than work together for the benefit and wellness of our country. The threat of social unrest is real. We saw what happened in Berbice a couple of weeks ago. We are a nation of less than a million and we cannot allow that to become our reality. We cannot foolishly become martyrs who will have no descendants to remember and honour us. Guyana is ours to fix, ours to protect and ours to build.
The world now has interest in our country because of our oil resources. Many foreigners have made comments about our political crisis. Post-oil when we experienced political crisis, many of these voices were silent. Many of these voices have revealed themselves to be biased. Because of their lack of impartiality, I do not trust them. As a descendant of those who were enslaved, I will forever be suspicious of the motives of the descendants of the former slave-masters and colonialists who still benefit from their ancestors’ sins. They are not gods wiser than us. We Guyanese are not little children whose heads they can stroke and give us sweets to soothe us while they threaten us with their agendas. They have no right to instruct an independent nation what it should do. Many of them do not respect us as a people. They stand by rubbing their hands waiting for us to destroy each other so they can come in and play saviour while they take our resources. I would like to think we have leaders who are intelligent and strong enough, who are visionaries that can guide our nation and make the best decisions for the benefit of us all. Or do we not?
Nevertheless, I will say again that we are not little slave children and colonists’ ‘pickneys’ that the pseudo saviours, who have major issues in their own countries where Guyana has no say, think they can instruct and throw stones while we can see through their glass houses. But this is just my opinion. There are those Guyanese who welcome every opinion about what happens here and who are willing to be led and fed, because they have no sense of self, national pride and do not possess the wisdom to view life from a third eye.
If we do not fix our issues now as a collective, all of us will suffer. It matters not what political party we support, matters not the texture of our hair or the colour of our skin, matters not if we are rich or poor, there are those who will stand by and watch us all die and then build a new Guyana on our graves.
I appeal to our leaders, to think first about the people. This is not a time for arrogance and selfishness, because our future is at risk. While we are threatened by COVID-19, I am sure it will not destroy as many of us as the political instability will if we do not fix our crisis expeditiously.
