Dear Editor,
The guest editorial in SN of 23 March 2021 that Guyana compares Barbados’ and Guyana’s leadership on Covid. PM Mottley of Barbados won by landslide in the last elections, in Guyana the elections reinforced divisions and many Guyanese have not accepted the results. Who bothers with leaders they did not elect, or even hate?
And then when the leaders across the pandemic seem to be giving mixed messages, it gets worse.
Social media showed images of some events with prominent people who are clearly not observing any protocols (even if they were only taking off masks for the picture). And other leaders engaged and organising events – protests, parties, workshops … where some are masked, others are not and people are not social distancing.
The Phagwah festival, with this idea of bringing people together, even strangers and enemies is the opposite of ‘social distancing’ advised for the pandemic. And Guyana’s tragedy where alcohol is a part of Phagwah for many Hindus and non-Hindus, then all inhibitions are lost. Phagwah events are being organised ‘with Covid protocols’ but who manages when the joyful and even drunk Phagwah revellers do like what so many Guyanese feel like saying every now and then… to hell with Covid for this moment.
The vaccine message is confusing… which ones have been approved, which are causing blood clots etc, and then – “ you might get sick, but not so sick as to die or suffer as if you did not take the vaccine.. but life can be back to normal with the vaccine… ‘
Many of us are conscious that we are not seeing the bodies piling up at the morgue. We are lucky that the burden on the healthcare system apparently is not known. Some of us are hearing the virus, even without symptoms, could causes damage to the body which could result in later problems. So we might not die and suffer now but with additional ‘comorbidities’ Covid could still impact our health later. So we can have these 25% and 40% gatherings ‘with Covid protocols’ because there is this need to celebrate or lament ‘together’ and even with good bandwidth, the virtual does not work in the same way.. and we ‘gun ded anyways’.
So maybe there is a different kind of leadership needed to listen and engage, be innovative in ways to do like the virus and adapt.
And to celebrate the leadership happening in quiet places with everyday people who are trying. Like the 65-year-old Route 40 minibus driver who has a ‘No Mask No Entry’ sign on the bus, but also has masks for those who come on the bus, which he buys himself.
Yours sincerely,
Vidyaratha Kissoon
