Last week, I came upon the prime minister’s 2014 Cheddi Jagan Lecture “Dr Cheddi Jagan’s commitment to National Unity and National Development” (Office of the Prime Minister, April 2014) and immediately felt depressed. It was providential that Marxist/Leninist-orientated Ralph Ramkarran was on hand to distract me from the debilitating doctrine that the PM claimed he helped to inspire. Listen to Ralph.
“Now, once again, Guyana is on the cusp of profound political developments of such an historic nature that they will transform our nation and its role in the region and the world. …. This, of course will never be admitted, unless the next attempt …. [by the PPP] …. to obtain an absolute majority at new elections is unsuccessful. If so, there is no doubt that our current leadership possesses the experience, will and statesmanship to guide the difficult process of reconciling enormous differences. Dogged insistence on minority rule a second time around will only temporarily postpone the inevitable” (“The promise of 1950:” SN: 25/05/2014).
Having been driven into depression by the PM, to hear from Ralph that “our current leadership possesses the experience, will and statesmanship” to guide us through the necessary transformation almost made me inconsolable. But then there it was: that redeeming feature of Marxism/Leninism that has contributed so much to making it attractive to
