Daily we are greeted by shocking headlines telling us about the gore and social issues. In this infinite universe Guyana seems to be operating at a frequency of negativity. We seem to be overwhelmed by headlines about death – like the fatal road accidents we have been seeing lately and murders. There are too many announcements about hurt people hurting other hurt people. But thankfully it is not dreadful headlines alone. We also see those about the progress of our people shining light where light has never shone or shining it brighter. Here we see technological advancements and social and economic infrastructural leaps. We see the entrepreneurial spirit. We see headlines about our students being top of the Caribbean in CAPE and CSEC indicating that the future of Guyana could be in good hands and graduates from various tertiary institutions.
But the current headlines include sexual related allegations by a person in a position of power. Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall is being accused. We often read such headlines and we sigh. We are not surprised by them. This is the same minister who suggested that another member of parliament needed a dildo while making a budget presentation. And has also been accused on several occasions of disrespecting women some of which was written on his social media platform.
The Alliance for Change has called for a probe into the allegations against the minister but unfortunately often the voices that call for justice and accountability are regarded like a whisper on the wind. The majority do not listen to minority voices in Guyana anymore because perhaps trust is lost, the people lack critical thinking skills and have been conditioned in dysfunction; or the people are grappling with borborygmus because there are holes in their pockets thanks to the high cost of living. Perhaps it is all of that.
President Ali was asked about the allegations and said that complaints should be made to the police. Our headlines also sometimes tell how our leaders play with power. When there is no demotion or reprimand for problematic people in positions of power, we can deduce that their behaviour is accepted by their colleagues. An ordinary man and a person in a position of power can be accused of the same crimes and it is only the ordinary man that would face prosecution.
Our collective silent outrage will not inspire a collective loud change. Screenshots and pornographic images being shared on apps like WhatsApp and Telegram accomplish nothing. Alleged sexual predators are allowed to continue to be free and those who have been hurt by their actions must cope alone or may have small support groups while unsuspected ones are preparing to enter a plot, they have no control of scripting.
And there are other headlines. The concept of ‘One Guyana’ has been making the headlines during all the allegations of inappropriate behaviours, the gore and such. But do these words resonate with the majority? Do they really mean that we are fostering one Guyana or is it one of the beautiful sweet-sounding distractions from the disorderly or alleged disorderly conduct of some in positions of power?
We read details under headlines again that ‘One Guyana’ was mentioned by President Ali at the launch of the Cricket Carnival and Caribbean Premier League. These beautiful distractions and local and tourist attractions like Guyana hosting the CPL finals for the next three years excite us. And we are allowed to celebrate. We can choose to only read such headlines and admire the smiling faces of our people; of beautiful women performing and decked in costumes and ministers of government smiling like all is well in 592. Like indeed this is a land where there is one dream, one people and equal opportunity for all.
But then we remember recent headlines also of alleged racial slurs. Every so often the manifestations of microaggressions make the headlines. We read that a policewoman Shawnette Bollers is suing Attorney-of-Law Nirvan Singh for alleged verbal racial abuse. Shouldn’t we weep for Guyana when we see headlines about humans finding time to attempt to demoralize other humans? Daily we learn though, through headlines or personal experiences that though people may be adult size in their physical appearance their minds might still be dwarfed. But these are just allegations. Still to hear these allegations about an accused saying that an entire people are not good for anything are painful. Without thought some spit on the graves of those who paved the way for all of us. Having delusions about superiority must be a sad place to be. But we read these headlines and again we sigh. And though the details of the stories anger us, and we wonder if racial intolerance can be compensated with a price like $150 million, all we do is talk about it.
Recently we also read headlines that Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council for Region 4 Daniel Seeram was charged with threatening behaviour against his father-in-law. It is alleged that he pulled a gun. And again, we sigh and ask ourselves if there are any public figures that our children can look up to.
There was at least one headline about cyberbullying with a local artiste alleging that he was cyber bullied by a young female make-up artist. She was charged.
Three senior citizens were part of those held in a drug bust. We know that cost of living continues to distress Guyanese and that the old age pension cannot adequately support the senior citizens but some of us watched their mugshots in disbelief.
We saw headlines about the opposition still being without an opposition leader. Do the people care?
We also saw headlines about the Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo making remarks about Trinidad and Tobago falling apart since its economy is reliant on the oil and gas sector. He was warning that Guyana must not become that.
But our headlines reflect that our people may be hopeful but are also troubled. The Guyanese people are already experiencing the oil curse. The headlines about bad news keep us in a cycle of stress. It is another indication that we must protect our energies and focus. But it may be difficult to solely focus on the brighter side when we can feel the tensions. The headlines continue…
