Dear Editor,
I hope Mr Ian McDonald has recovered from the massive ‘patriotic’ attack which he experienced in the SN column of April 27 titled ‘A fateful and historic mistake.’
He wrote “But what one can easily dare to do is perceive the eternal similarities – great scale and miniature – in what happens when short-sighted men make a much greater good subsidiary to a petty cause.
“And so it is not wrong to derive a lesson from what happened in the great Chinese empire to illustrate what can happen anywhere at any time – in this case in Guyana in the early 21st century.”
His generosity by which he can recommend the ‘cure’ to our Guyanese politicians who are so afflicted is not in doubt.
Mr McDonald, a man of much finesse and dignity, really surprised when he departed from serving the normal Sunday fare. Pardon me please, my image of Mr McDonald’s musings is fluctuations between the usual ‘tomatoes are more bountiful when you smile on them,’ or ‘poetry is needed in the prisons to calm anxiety.’ While other writers bore us on the marginal utility of ethanol in bricks or who is a man because he is a woman… PPP or PNC … Mr McDonald has dared to step forward and remind Guyanese where we are headed. Is he correct?
It is common knowledge all those politicians in charge of Guyana’s destiny always know best. The people are just fools. Emancipation of the Guyanese mind is nowhere in sight.
Both parties are responsible for the mass exodus of Guyana’s population, but both blame the other. What would it matter if China’s emperor found it wise to stop exploring the seas and burn ships? Didn’t the Emperor know best? Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez burnt all his European ships so his men had no way back home to Spain. The conquistadores only had one other choice. They ravaged and destroyed the magnificent Aztec empire built by ‘pagans.’ Fidel Castro did no worse by cutting off an entire island and telling them either they swim together or they all sink. Before he leaves the presidency it is a certainty Barack Obama will visit Cuba.
President Richard Nixon first led the way to China as he did for the Soviet Union. Trade with Cuba will propel the US economy to their mutual benefit.
“Somehow our leaders must cast aside their doubts and suspicions, allay the fears of their more fanatic supporters, meet and meet again and reach at last a grand Guyana Amity Pact to take the nation forward. Or at the very least history must be able to record that they really tried and if they fail tell posterity why exactly they did so,” Mr McDonald implored. What is the problem? It’s race. Solution? Still race. Alternative? Power sharing, partition or federalism.
Yours faithfully,
Sultan Mohamed
