Dear Editor,
Exactly one month after the mark of the 170th anniversary of the purchase of Buxton, formerly named Plantation New Orange Nassau, I was disheartened to read and listen to some of the sentiments expatiated by some political leaders exercising their constitutionally protected and recognised freedom of expression. The genesis of their gripe was President Jagdeo’s visit to Buxton on August 18.
The President and the PPP/C government are often falsely accused of not reaching out to the African-Guyanese dominated communities and depriving them of a share of the national resources. Moreover, readers must be reminded or informed that a protester outside a reception held by President Jagdeo on August 5 at State House in honour of Buxtonians possessed a placard with the words “Jagdeo never visit Buxton as president why dine with him?” Readers must also be reminded or informed that on March 11, 2010, the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) called on the public to support a plea from Buxton for help for their farmers and children.
The President then visits Buxton and the political leaders of a very small minority calls for the rejection of the President’s visit and labels the President’s visit a “political charade.” A case of ‘catch 22’ or ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’?
This visit was no political charade. At the visit, the President stated, inter alia, the following:
1. “The state was prepared to help young people who wanted to start farming with land clearing and assistance to get the first crop in the ground.” Additionally, he noted that the “government had a pig breeding programme with imported stock from the US and Suriname which could improve the returns on pig rearing.”
2. “The WOW (Women of Worth) facility was launched earlier this year with GBTI where individuals can get a loan of up to $250,000 without collateral at six per cent interest rate and the government will work with those people who have the loans to give them technical assistance to start businesses.”
3. There was an intention to source 20 computers for the community and “the villagers [are urged] to establish a mechanism to ensure that everyone benefits from the systems.”
4. “We’re going to give the NGOs here some money to start a hot meal programme for some of the most vulnerable kids in school too.”
5. “I don’t want to go back and analyse the past and what happened, that is part of our history now. How do we now move forward in regenerating wealth in this community, economic activity so that the people here can find meaningful employment and solve some of their problems? This is what we have to focus on.”
Incidentally, I was happy to see that better judgment prevailed and the call by David Hinds and others for the Buxtonians to refuse an invitation by the President to the aforementioned reception at State House fell on deaf ears. This coupled with the welcome that the President received evinces unequivocally that the vast majority of Buxtonians and Buxtonian organisers are willing to work together in the interest of the common national development objective. The leadership that David Hinds (or anyone who objected to the President’s visit to Buxton) offers is regressive. These are the ‘old guard’ that are not interested in reconciliation and progress.
The President was elected President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. This means that the President is President for the entire country. The constitution does not say that the President is elected President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana excluding Buxton. The President, therefore, has a right to visit with any village once it is located within its legal territory.
My very close friend with the initials RA reminded me of this old Chinese aphorism that my parents taught me, “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
Yours faithfully,
Charles S Ramson
