Secondly, it’s unfortunate that my caption couldn’t read ‘Our next president.’ Reality determines that, in our politics, some group won’t accept a president as ‘their own.’ Bound to be the wrong person or wrong party, to many. However I remind the voter-citizen that however tough it might be, the office of the president should still attract some respect. Why? Because a country’s institutions should be held in high collective regard, no matter how hard some incumbents try to devalue them. A country needs its traditions and high institutions to sustain its national integrity and to give it some heritage or legacy for posterity.
Who cares about who wins the presidency to become Guyana’s national leader next year? Well, even sceptical me. I know that whether we are ‘political’ or not, the person symbolizing our national images should be knowledgeable, possessed of non-partisan statesmanship and a true leader of men and women. We should all care. Trouble is, do we have any proper candidates to live up to even those minimal criteria?
My cynicism, your choices
Once a fan, follower and even minor players in local politics, I now know how disillusioned I’ve become with our brand of politics and politicking here these days. I’m not even too sure why I seem to see mostly political opportunists, self-seekers and hustlers in all the contending parties these days, so I’ll bore you no more, on that score.
Rather, just toss around the names and ‘personalities’ being touted with the governing party, which has done a great job already in not-so-subtly suggesting that whoever its candidate will be, that dude will actually become president after the elections. Their list so far: Hari N (Ralph) Ramkarran, Clement Rohee, Donald Ramotar, Moses Nagamootoo, Robert Persaud and, at times, Dr Frank Anthony.
Now I know that at this stage the PPP has not actually chosen any candidate and I’m merely perpetuating speculation. Perhaps that is why I’ll reserve my own assessments and frank opinions of the names mentioned above. But you who are still interested, do the following: listen to what those political persons say, how they say it, where and when; check their written views, consider their social behaviour and personal habits, then ask yourself whether the person(s) are ‘material’ to lead you and your country. Just why does anyone of them really aspire to lead us? (I can tell you some of those answers but not now).
Other parties will come up with their own election leaders and presidential candidates. Like Raphael Trotman, Khemraj Ramjattan, CN Sharma, Joey Jagan, Vincent Alexander, Winston Murray and Peter Ramsaroop. Et al. Again, ask yourself: do these dudes really care about my quality of life now and my future here? They all now have a programme of guaranteed national development? Ha!
Till next column on this issue, I ask, I wonder who’s for prime minister? Sammy Archibald again? My favorite Gail? Or Robust Robeson? Dr Luncheon or McAllister or Debbie? Until…
More Americana for immigrants
Your ‘papers’ have come through. You’ll be another resident alien in the land of opportunity and immigrants – the USA. It’s the country too many hypocrites love to hate. At least publicly many have decided that America actually owes them a lot because of its (alleged) international behaviour throughout the past decades. So they journey there to become legal aliens, then fully documented citizens to enjoy all the benefits available to America’s continued dominance of all sorts. A few facts for my Guyanese-born American-citizens-to-be.
According to America’s ‘categorization of ethnicities,’ in a few short years, its populations will be dominated by Hispanics and Asians, above Caucasian and African-descended folks. That is going to be a fact of America’s reality unless its citizenship and immigration policies allow hundreds of thousands of Eastern European, former Soviet people in, in a hurry. The ‘browning of America’ seems unstoppable, Russian Coney Island mafia or not. And Afro, Indo-Guyanese are contributing to that ‘browning.’ But where will America’s real power remain?
Emma Lazarus’s poem on the famed Statue of Liberty still welcomes immigrants now swarming her land. Hope she doesn’t forget who were first and native there!
Some other important trivia: in the early 1600s the Pilgrims went to Holland from England to religious peace and freedom. They then rushed to virgin America. The original 13 American states were ruled, as colonies, by Britain. Those colonists largely governed themselves and regarded the British king as their ‘true ruler.’ Then came the war – and independence in 1776. So just imagine our own Kofi attempted a revolution for freedom in 1763 – long before America’s war for its own liberty. Good luck, Guyanese American citizens…
Interesting!
1. First Sunday quote (from Sunday Chronicle, April 4):
“When we begin to focus on the capacity of the poor to purchase groceries, clothing, and books for school, and examine the institution of child labour resulting in the denial of formal education, their working conditions, the hordes of beggars and paupers, underemployment, and homelessness, then we ourselves begin to encounter the world of the poor. And the cycle of poverty that has become a perennial habitation for the poor.”
From Dr Prem Misir, Office of the President
2. Second Sunday quote (from the Stabroek editorial, April 4): “If an award existed for the most unmitigated drivel uttered by a member of Cabinet this year, then Education Minister Shaik Baksh would have won it hands down last week. He was presiding at a ‘forum’ organized by his ministry in conjunction with UNICEF, rejoicing in aims so cumbersome that even some participants, one feels, could not have recited them without reference to their programmes.”
(No further comment necessary)
3. What!? Good job! The police will prosecute one of their senior officers for drunk driving. Great hope!
Till next week!
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