Dear Editor,
It’s now 25 years since Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham passed away. He ruled Guyana for 21 years, but with all his intellect and gift of oratory Guyana became the poorest nation in the West – poorer than Haiti. Our economy went from bad to worse. Basic food items such as flour, sardines, potatoes, salt fish, onions, garlic, apples, etc, were all banned, thus pushing Guyanese to migrate all over the world for better jobs and living conditions. Burnham rigged elections from 1968 onwards. Under his regime long lines were seen at the gas stations for kerosene, gas and diesel. Long lines were seen at co-op shops for rice, sugar, oil, milk, etc. Guyana plunged deeper and deeper into poverty, hardship, and human suffering. His philosophy of free education from nursery to university created more ill-educated persons.
Many of Burnham’s contemporaries saw him as a demi-god, and until today they fail to accept the fact that Burnham was a very poor leader, visionary and statesman. A true leader would have had his people’s interest at heart; Burnham had his own interest at heart because he did not identify a good leader after he died.
Burnham’s socialist ideology was copied from Cuba, Russia, China and Korea, and did not push our country economically, financially, socially and academically to compete with the wider world. Thus his own educated people left Guyana to work and develop foreign countries. He himself talked about using what we produce and growing more food, but he failed to keep his own people in his country to produce by using their skills to develop Guyana. Many of our skilled writers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, nurses, scientists, labourers migrated by the thousands under Burnham, and are still doing so today.
We must not be deceived into thinking that Burnham and Jagan were great leaders. Their socialist and communist political ideologies destroyed this nation. What Guyana needs is a new capitalist vision based on Godly principles. What can we remember Burnham for? What did he achieve for Guyana? He achieved nothing for Guyana.
In his lifetime, he was a man of wisdom and wit; a very sophisticated and elegant personality. The quality of his speeches will be remembered but his art of electoral rigging has been documented. Burnham’s life and character were ones on which false dreams and hopes were made. Burnham’s act upon life’s stage ended in dusty death twenty-five years ago, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.
Yours faithfully,
Rev Gideon Cecil
