Dear Editor,
As a middle-level government bureaucrat from 1972 to 1976, I admired many of the economic policies of former President Forbes Burnham. For example, a group of us from various government ministries had volunteered for one week to work on the road-building project that was to link Wismar with Rockstone.
Self-help participants included senior as well as junior officers and clerks. There were males as well as females and there was a true spirit of familyhood and camaraderie among us after we had met and started working together. I was a senior officer at one of the ministries and I can recall the sensitive care that I received from a female class 11 clerk during a brief but uncomfortable period of illness. She didn’t have to do it as we all held the ‘rank’ of volunteer and were treated the same by project supervisors, who were not even interested in the professional disparities that existed among the volunteers.
I was also quite worried about a huge swelling that had occurred on my leg after being bitten by a kaboura fly. The advice I received from the said female camper helped to reassure me that there was nothing to worry about, as the swelling would go away once I had returned to Georgetown. So said so done, for the swelling did go away almost completely the day after my return to the city. It was like a miracle and I was very relieved. I was a mere stranger to that young lady, and yet she had gone out of her way to help me. Working together in this manner, did have the effect of bringing out the best in all of us.
When we arrived to do our stint of self-help, the government was in the first phase of the road-building project which was the clearing phase. The discipline of being awakened at 4 am every day did us all a lot of good. After a hearty breakfast, trucks would then take us out to the job site. We enjoyed quite a few rest breaks as well as other breaks for snacks and refreshment. A great deal of the heavy clearing was done by paid equipment operators, and the volunteers were required to do the lighter but more laborious clearing tasks with cutlasses. However, we tended to work at our own pace, and when I heard that the Wismar-Rockstone Road was finally completed, I was proud that I had made a contribution to this important endeavour that probably saved the government a significant amount of money. I don’t know what the present condition of the road is, but that is hardly the point.
It was the same with other weekend projects where we were required to paint a government building or start a vegetable garden. There was always camaraderie as well as a genuine sense of purpose and goodwill. Critics of Mr Burnham’s self-help thrust have said that volunteers were being used as “slaves,” but we never saw it that way, for working in self-help gave us the opportunity to get out of the office, dirty our hands and do something tangible for our country. As office workers, quite often we hide behind papers and produce very little for the entire day. With self-help it was easy to measure what was produced, and as stated earlier, it helped to unify the workforce in very meaningful ways. Self-help also helped to bridge the gap between physical and sedentary work, and gave the ‘white-collar’ worker a much better appreciation for the services of the hardcore working class.
Yours faithfully,
Rudy Vyfhuis
Yes but his constituents resisted the teachable moment and bemoaned the foreign leeks and garlic from overseas instead of going to the land. In the end, like every other opportunity he tried to expose them to, they squandered it to their political nemesis.
Amen!!
JSB, that is correct there was no major flooding Burnham did get many many good things going for Guyana at the sametime there were many and I say many people that disappeared under Burnham’s regime.
The rupununi uprising was another where brute force was used.
For more evidence of viciousness see Walter Rodney, Vincent Teekah to name of some of the few people can relate to. The many hundreds more that are unaccounted for adds up.
In addition, do not forget that Jonestown occured under Burnham’s watch so my 2 cents to you is you check it.
Rudy whatever spirit of camaraderie Burnham’s projects brought they all evaporated in smoke because of his dictatorship and mistreatment of indians in Guyana.
I am no fan of the PPP but many people need to be honest with themselves and realize that not all of Burnham’s deeds were evil or non productive but at the same time they need to call it as it is.
Burnham was a tyrant and this government has now adopted all his policies and turned it on the population.
What. Excuse me but…..you need to check that statement. The level of lawnessness that is going on now couldn’t have happened then.
You did hear of unaccountable deaths on both african and indian Guyanese. Thief man by night Law enforcement by day. Just check your self. That statement is totally uncalled for. Not all Burnham deeds were right but Give credit where credit was due. The same can be said for Jagan and Jagdeo.
Furthermore. I have never seen Guyana flood. That is a total shame. Total embarrasment.
I find it curious that some bloggers are allowed by Stabroek News to make unsubstantiated and impugning accusations that the PNC was racially oppressive during its governance. By the same token, refuting or counter argument is either edited or disallowed from being published.
One gets the impression that the staff-in-charge of screening the blogs are either PPP friendly or the news paper is cowardice to allow any critique of the current PPP administration.
The constant mis-information that Indians were “mistreated” under the PNC’s reign is a beguiling “big lie” and is a successful strategy employed by Indian Guyanese to portray themselves as perpetual victims to accomplish their goals. As my evidence, I point to the recent and scathing attack on Ms Gaye, the UN Human Rights envoy, who concluded that the PPP regime is responsible for racially divisive and oppressive policies.
About a decade later I was able to drive on that road Mr Vyfhuis. It was rough but the point is you helped to make that way – thanks.
Today – isn’t Rockstone one of the tourist attraction sites – through fishing?
Earlier on I mentioned that on every Monday there is a self-help, not initiated by LFSB, but it is a way of life of the people of Yupukari Village, North Rupununi whereby they come together and do weeding to keep the village clean, among other things.
If all the villages on the east coast could have adopted LFSB’s self-help ideal they would have been in better position I think. I am not saying that the village of Yupukari is better – but the fact is that people come together and do things for themselves –
This ideal of self-help can go a long way – not only to keep the village clean – but the people can come together and ‘look’ at problems that their villages are challenged by – drugs, education etc etc – and how they can pool ideas to eliminate their problems.
May be because I was energized by my parents’ unfortunate of not having an opportunity to be schooled – I came to a realization that every thing I did/do is for my parents. I further realized that I was/am a represention of those people that come together every week to work for their village. Even though I left the village physically I never left the people – they are always close to my heart. Today, I thank God to inspired man to created technology -and thanks so much to Alice Clayton ( American woman) who linked up the village to the rest of the world through internet that I can now be ‘together’ with my villagers – working on ideas that can improved our village life.
http://www.rupununilearners.org
Can you shed some light on Hope Estate on the East Coast of Demerare,as a youth I did self help there.The Kabaka used to be on Horseback riding around the Estate with his sidekick Cecil Ram as we lined up for food hampers.
The politics of Forbes Burnham was the politics of personal power. He rewarded supporters with jobs, economic and education opportunities in return for loyalty. National service and mandatory volunteering, mixing the military, para military, public servants and unemployed was a psychological experiment that ensured loyalty, instilled fear and kept many criminals off the street. However his economic projects were unable to sustain themselves and soon the country went bankrupt.
And is it really so different today. Look at the country. you mean that since Burnham died things couldn’t turn around? Till now??????????? Its time to stop blaming Forbes for everything. we had 5 presidents since then. Were they all incompetent?
Desmond Hoyte 6 August 1985 9 October 1992
People’s National Congress
Cheddi Jagan 9 October 1992 6 March 1997
People’s Progressive Party
Sam Hinds 6 March 1997 19 December 1997
People’s Progressive Party
Janet Jagan 19 December 1997 11 August 1999
People’s Progressive Party
Bharrat Jagdeo 11 August 1999 Present
People’s Progressive Party
jsb you asked, ‘we had 5 presidents since then (Burnham). Were they all incompetent??’….
ANSWER:
YES! YES!…a thousand times and then more YES!..
Yep no different today.
I am totally with you on that point JSB, forbes rule has jack to do with the current state of the country.
The Pee Pee Peed can claim all they want that this is the reason the country is the way it is that is total hogwash.
They have embraced everything that is forbes:
- GMC
- GPC
- GPL
- GuySucko
- GRDB
- GINA
all these clowns did was rename these agencies.
Cochore Cheddi Jagan was one of those presidents and he was not incompetent.
Desmond Hoyte had a lot of issues most of which I believe surfaced as an opposition leader but he was not incompetent.
Lets use some common sense here ok?
Hey Rudy, this is the first time I’m hearing about the Wismar/Rockstone self-help road project and according to Macushi, today it’s a tourist attraction site. However, I don’t think that the ongoing criticism of former President Forbes Burnham, as a national leader for economic development had anything to do with his ideas for Public Service and national development.
In fact, I’ll add his introduction and execution of the Multilateral school system along with Self-help as two crowning jewels for national development and public service anywhere. And indeed, I’m sure that there are many other equally satisfying and noble projects, which were pursued aggressively by the Forbes Burnham administration.
Rudy my friend, the Burnham administration’s demise came at the hands of a search for LEGITIMACY and CRONYISM. Ironically, these two public administration indiscretions normally go hand-in-hand, where together, they amalgamate and react like silent ‘death knells’ for public service governance in any country.
As surely as the day follows the night, today, this PPP/Jagdeo administration is governing exactly the same way that the Burnham administration operated and to nobody’s surprise they are inheriting the same results and criticism for their public administration indiscretions. Square pegs in round holes undermine honest public service, which results in bullying and ruling.
LEGITIMACY and CRONYISM are the twin plagues that saps the national resources and the human intellect of the Guyanese people.
Re: “[… Rudy my friend, the Burnham administration’s demise came at the hands of a search for LEGITIMACY and CRONYISM….
“Ideas” do not die; but, people do!
So, it was Burnham then; and, now it is Obama!
Re” Re: ““With all that is at stake today, we cannot afford to talk past one another,” Obama said on Saturday in his weekly radio speech. “We have to find, and build on, our mutual interests.””
Circa 1939 – 1945!
From the late President L.F.S. B. – President Barack H. Obama
Economic Crisis…. What Economic Crisis!!!
Hint! Hint! Hint…. Re: “Guidelines for the Economic Analysis of Projects”!
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Guidelines/Eco_Analysis/default.asp
All Running on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksFqjI3gyAo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9oh3gqOEKU
“Jobs – Baby – Jobs”!
Now, “All Your (Economic) Base Are Belong To US”
“Mission Accomplished”!
Also, “Perhaps, this should have been: “Now, “All Your (British Guiana Economic) Base (Command) Are Belong To US”
“Mission Accomplished” – Again!
So, “Bring It On You Trivia Buffs”!
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/news/regional/04/13/obama-seeks-new-relationship-with-latin-america/
Ditto, Crony ism is exactly what is bringing the Pee Peed Poo to its knees.
Yeah right. Self help.Even that was useless.It was self help to bankruptcy.
So, who recommended the “self help” to the current “world financial and economic meltdown”…..
Oh Yeah! “Bring On” the L.F.S.B (Economic Rate of Return – ERR) blind bashing Oh! Mighty “caesar agustus”!
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Guidelines/Eco_Analysis/rationale.asp
Yeah, I have seen that Kaieteur. Waiting around the bend to pounce upon me, anytime Guyana’s favorite whipping boy is deservedly caned for most maximum failures incurred, after being given on a platter,a nation, prosperous, with everything, without ever once winning an election in his life.That, followed this pie in the sky pattern of the worst recorded abysmal failures in Guyana’s history.New Guyana man, small man is a real man,socialism is good for you,Feed Clothe and House yourself by 1976(now this was a true failure with no flour) bicycle factory, glass factory, road to Brazil, Hydeo electric plants,accusations of hoarding,currency manipulation charges,Guyana moves forward,all imported foodstuffs banned,Guyana Trading Corporation,People’s Militia, National Service,planting and reaping apples(nowhere to be ever seen)no machinery spare parts, swap trains for buses (what a joke),Guyana standard time,and the speech in the National Park,”the Guyana dollar will not be changable anywhere in the world.” To great applause by gathered incompetents.Print more money not backed by gold.More was to come. Leave Guyana with only $50G, and self help.And you know something.After all of this political hot air,theatrics,and posturing lies,the natural choice. All led to bankruptcy.
Jane Doe, I don’t think all of “it” is mis-information. I have never had an Indo-Guyanese friend until I came to Canada. They talk about things that was done to them when they were young.Beaten up, things taken away from them and not being able to go to the police to file a complaint.
I lived in a neighbourhood with all the different races and people got along fine with each other.
But I remember one incident when I was a child. My mother stopped at a food stall, in Stabroke Market, to get us some food, just across from us at another stall an Indo Guyanese man was buying food, when he was finished paying for the food an Afro Guyanese man walked up to him and took his food away and stood right there and ate it. There were a lot of people in the market but no one intervened.
Another time I saw a police officer walked up to a vendor and took a full bag of unopened split peas. The vendor held on to the peas, all the while begging the officer not to take it, but the officer would not let go. A Portuguese man was standing across from the stall and he said to the officer “why don’t you leave the man alone? he is trying to make a living”. The officer got upset and starting walking towards the man that spoke up. I guess to give him a beating.When an Afro Guyanese man confronted him and told him he was being a bully, thats when the officer walked away.
One incident happened to me too. I was walking home from school one day with an older girl from my neighbourhood, and coming toward us were a group of teenagers, the person I was walking with realised something was up and she switched sides with me so I would be on the inside of the street. As they were passing us they grabbed hold of my hair, I fell to the ground and I was dragged on my ass for a few feet whilst being called a certain name. How do you think that felt? I have lived in Canada for many years and no one believes I am from Guyana, even Guyanese. Most people think that I am Brazilian.
I know that there are many Afro Guyanese who wasn’t into beating up and bulling others. Many of them stood up for Indo Guyanese. I wasn’t around when the distrubance happened and I have heard that many Afro Guyanese took Indo Guyanese into their homes to protect them.
Maybe you have never witness any of these kind of things, but it happened.
Your rambling incoherent response only lends credibility to my argument that this group employs a deliberate strategy of perpetual victimization to accomplish their goals. How else would you translate a few incidents of civilian thugery during the PNC reign to a sanctioned government policy.
Brandon, I reject the notion that Burnham mistreated Indians as if it was a policy. I can accept you saying he was a dictator and historians may very well be saying that we have one now. I would say that, unfortunately, Indians were on a lot of occasions taken advantage of by party loyals.
Please note that the Burnham had more Indians in administrative positions than the PPP have Africans. It is time that Indians who held positions in the Burnham era to come out and give there close up verification of this constant claim.
Having indians in positions didn’t mean jack Greg, You are naive to begin to think that because Burnham had indians in government positions it meant anything.
Quite a few of those same indians were my close relatives trust me, indians in govt meant nothing, they were powerless and had to execute policies of the PNC to save their.
You said Burnham never mistreated indians? really:
- Burnham – Banned peas, chick peas, flour and other staples that were key items for the indian diet. Do you understand fundamentally what that means?
- Burnham seized indian owned lands and redistributed them . (My Grandparents were his victims I know)
- Burnham took money intended for Indians and built the national cultural center.
- Burnham disenfranchised every single indian who voted for the PPP – DO YOU GET WHAT THAT MEANS? THIS IS NOT MADE UP IT IS FACT!
- Burnham established many government agencies to control indian farmers (GRB) and also control Indian owned businesses.
- Nothing oould get done in GY without the blessing of Burnhame. He used the police and the army to intimidate indians.
- Burnhame unleashed Rabbi Washington on Guyanese who did not comply with his wishes.
Greg, do some research and educate yourself.
Brandon, there you go again. You are looking through the prism of race. You are the one who needs to do the research. You fail to understand the working of politics. Indian basically did not get the dirty end of the stick because of race. It was because they were the opposition. Burnham destroyed all opposition regardless of race. Unfortunately, PNC party loyals used their supremacy in the city and office to bully Indians.
There is where you and many others are making the mistake. To make it simple take out “Indians” and replace with “opposition supporters” then fast forward to today and take out “PPP/C” and put in “Government” and replace “Africans” with “opposition supporters”. Does it make a difference to you?
Further, How do you explain Burnham’s dealings with Fredrick Mahaica? Why did Sam Hinds run from Demba?
This arguement about the banning of flour. There again I have to question your intelligence. How can the self-sufficient policy be construed to be anti Indian? I lost a car fetching flour and I am African.
On this one Burnham got it right. If we were not so obsessed with wheat our failing rice industry would have been a model for the world, as Brazil’s ethonol industry, if we had kept experimenting with rice flour.
Wake up from your biased slumber and use the American experience to clear your eyes.
Further Brandon. Your qoute, ” Burnham disenfranchised every single indian who voted for the PPP – DO YOU GET WHAT THAT MEANS? THIS IS NOT MADE UP IT IS FACT!”. Would you like to look at this from the side of the PPP?
As soon as Cheddie got into office he stopped the rice cultivation project that the Sankar’s had lined up with Hoyte in Berbice. He claimed he was protecting slave land. I say it was retribution. The Sankar’s were PNC.
What about the cinemas? The PPP deliberately allowed TV channels to run Indian movies to the detriment of Liberty and other cinemas. Why? The owner of the majority of cinemas and the Bollywood & Hollywood film distribution network was an Indian supporter of the PNC.
Add this to your one-eyed-giant approach.
Greg
The PPP had jack to do with the failure of Cinemas, Cinemas failed in GY because of the explosion of Television and pirated DVD’s it is that simple. No different from what is happening in the rest of the world.
Greg you have no idea what the heck you are talking about, Burnham was not only after the opposition anyone who got in his way was fair game as you mentioned but many and I say many of his policies were geared towards pressuring Indians in particular to flee GY or submit to his command.
Many of his policies he knew were not going to be acceptable to indians, a classic one is National Service. Burnham knew that putting national service as a key requirement to graduate from UG would prevent many indians from sending their female children to UG.
You need to clear your eyes and get the wool off. Read many of my comments here as I stated before. Burnham was extremely conniving and vindictive when it came to dealing with indians.
Brandon. Here we go again. Your analysis is based on sentiment. Two points. Boot-legged DVDs cannot destroy the cinema industry. In the US they cut back in a small way on the sale of original DVDs. The quality is too poor to stop those who look for class from doing the right thing. Movies are still making millions on opening day.
In Guyana, boot-legged DVD in bottom houses could not and did not compete with the cimemas. Most TV stations were sticking to the guidelines and airing english movies only after they went to DVD, but not so the Indian owned TV stations when it came to indian films.
After ‘92 there was an influx of restricted Indian movies on TV. And don’t use Georgeton as an excuse why Indians prefer to watch movies in their homes. This problem affected cinemas nationwide.
The owners of Liberty cinema begged the government to stop the TV stations from airing movies before it went to the cinemas. This Indian government did not comply for specific reasons. This led to the closing of Liberty and cinemas nationwide. When that happened all TV stations began to do their own thing, driving the final nail in the coffin.
The government deliberately allowed the cinemas to fail because of who the owner was. He died about two years ago. He was my friend and he explained the reasons to me personally.
Second point. What national service had to do with Indians? This is folly at the highest extent. How do you explain Obama suggestion that students engage in national service as a requiremnt to get a credit on university fees?
There is no free lunch/ride. Taxpayers were financing NS. What was wrong with students giving back a little. Religion had nothing to do with policy. I personally did not go to UG because I am allergic to certain meals. Did Burnham have something against me?
Brandon. Until you voiced your opinions on this topic I thought you were able to liberate your mind from racial slavery. Your writings seem enlightened. How wrong I was to think that some people can forget or forgive when they come from a background of hate perpetuated mostly by propaganda.