Dear Editor,
It is right that I should seek forbearance for a verbal staccato or as R.B. O Hart two generations ago would have written “Things that bother me.” As ordinary people experience discomfort and dislocation, thanks to regular blackouts, David Patterson’s clear account of why GPL has failed us, published in Wednesday’s April 3, 2024 Stabroek News is useful and put to rest this obsession to blame everything that has ever gone wrong on the PNC and later Coalition Government. The infamous 28 years. My next salvo is to plead with our current crop of political leaders and young aspirants on both sides of our political divide to learn from human history. Ten years ago, fifty years ago, one hundred years ago, two hundred years ago there are powerful lessons. Due to arrogance by those who hold high office, they fail to benefit from the lessons history offers. This human weakness must be corrected in Guyana if our abundance of natural resources and almost ideal climatic conditions are not to be a curse but a blessing.
Next salvo, I read beautifully crafted Phagwah messages from the President and Prime Minister. Both regurgitating their new ‘One Guyana’ motto ignoring our National Motto, ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny.” Who are they fooling? As for the Prime Minister, a charming, chubby chap, who also delivered a Phagwah Message, I ask him to read that booklet written by a white American titled “The Spook who sat at the Door.” The story of a billion dollar white corporation. In response to concerns by non-white citizens, the Corporation was exploiting their human and natural resources while not involved nor consulted in major decisions and publication of profits. The Directors identified an Afro-American out of college, anointed him a Vice President, with limousines and other trappings of office and a large sign saying in the front of the main office, (let’s say Samuel Marcus, being the Vice President}. However, Samuel was not required to attend Board meetings and be part of the inner circle where decisions were made. Symbolism to fool the people. Is this Guyana today?
Around this time in 1961, preparations were advanced for the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba, organised by elements within the United States to overthrow the popular Fidel Castro regime. I met on several occasions with one of Castro’s commandos, my friend and brother Hernandez, who described how they were able to repel the invaders. The lesson here is that superpowers, all of them, are seldom concerned with what is good for the people in small states but what is good for those with military and economic might. A thinly populated country with vast resources requires leaders who are visionaries and have the intellectual strength to navigate through dangerous international waters for the benefit of all and not a chosen few.
This is a problem many of our political leaders do not understand that they are required to be statesmen and patriots and not foxes and servants of Massa. I am not seeing that and this bothers me. Talking about ‘One Guyana’, unity is easy. The assignment should be to understand the ill effects that slavery, indentureship, imperialism and colonialism have had on our people. One answer is a retooled education system that allows, at the instance of the community and trained teachers, each and every child to develop to his or her full potential. And a passion to serve our Cooperative Republic. It is a sad and sorrowing situation when we are saddled with a Government that shows disdain for teachers.
Our young people are anxious to rid themselves of the old prejudices engineered by an imperial policy of divide and rule. When we dismantle the philosophical underpinnings of having young people of every race, colour, place of birth and creed, mix, play and work in a controlled environment, we lose the glorious opportunity to produce a breed of Guyanese who regard Guyana as their own and guard and protect it with every drop of their blood. It is not too late for a government concerned about today and tomorrow to revive such a project. The end product would be to have Guyanese settle in every hinterland area where our Golden Arrowhead flies majestically, with the same tradewinds that brought the ships here centuries ago. This translates to the occupation of all of our 83,000 square miles.
I was appalled when speaking with some 13-14 year olds attending secondary schools, who did know much of our history and our patriotic songs. So instead of working assiduously and together to rekindle that spirit of wholesomeness and patriotism, we set out to smother free speech and thoughts by our young people. So we disqualified a young girl from singing a calypso at the semi-finals, which the high-command deemed unacceptable. They say little things mean a lot. My next salvo is that so long as we are afraid or unwilling to admit our mistakes and mis-steps, we remain mired in the mock and mud of despair and disappointment. I was amused when I read that the President read the ‘riot act’ to GPL Staff but he did not tell us that the Chief Executive Officer of GPL is the brother of his senior ministerial colleague. I am an optimist and still hope for the best.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Green
Elder
