Dear Editor,
In as much as Guyanese are entitled to practise their post-1992 freedom of expression, albeit guaranteed since the adoption of the 1980 Constitution, the more educated, in particular, and presumably at the same time, the more informed, ought to articulate their opinions in a responsible manner. Should the contrary be condoned or entertained, the purpose for this hard-fought battle would have been defeated, and this outcome would be sad for democracy.
Among us, in this election season, many professionally accomplished individuals and some, not without a generous smattering of favour in consideration for their past loyalty, gained public recognition by virtue of their national appointments in the last decade or more. Commensurately, it is expected that their resources increased justifiably. Unhappily, some have become stripped of these accolades by their promoters for one reason or another, best known to the circle of conferment. Being disgruntled, they grind their axe of ennui in a manner that bespeaks a measure of false entitlement to national longevity. Needless to say, the name and spirit of the beloved President Cheddi, revered for his stridently combative stance against every form of proven wrongful conduct, including a denial of benefits to the downtrodden, become the focal point of public controversy. Driven by his Marxist commitment to scientific socialism which became his clarion instrument for the redistribution of material national wealth, he ensured that the working class of this country was seen as his perennial constituency, a focus he adopted from the inception of his political career in the late 1940s. Some of his ardent lieutenants in the PPP were exposed to, if not consumed by, his ideals and ought to have understood that intrinsic to his model of alleviation, was the elevation of the downtrodden from that class to various levels of social and material upward mobility. There was no imposition of a glass ceiling. Examples of this are legion, and some have now become the most vocal of opponents of his current successors who can feel an immense sense of pride for moving this country from a classification of a Highly Indebted Country (HIPC) to a Small Island Developed State (SIDS), according to the international financial institutions.
President Cheddi, ensconced as he was in his mould of Marxist philosophy, did not distance himself from some of us who certainly could not honestly be regarded as working class. In June 1996, well knowing my roots, professional accomplishments and, no doubt, my resources, he invited me to join his government and, after a month’s reflection, I accepted the position of Attorney-General. At the time, although he was unshaken in his beliefs and had placed a high premium on loyalty, integrity, industry and any other positive quality one may have, he never even suggested that I should divest myself of the material resources to which I had become accustomed, given the property-oriented background I enjoyed from my childhood days. President Janet requested my services and so did President Bharrat and I was immensely proud to have accepted their expression of confidence in me. The rewards and award were no greater than any other Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, pre-1992. It may be fair to assume that they held me to the same scrupulous standards for which their predecessor stood. If they did not, I did not detect it.
Tracks became roads, roads became streets, streets were made into highways; shacks became houses; houses became two- and three-storied buildings; shops became stores; parlours became restaurants; shopping areas developed into malls; petrol stations proliferated; banks expanded nationwide; donkey carts disappeared and vehicles replaced them; bicycles were no longer essential forms of transportation; motorcycles replaced them. Hotels littered the skyline; canefields were converted into housing schemes with metropolitan-style homes; TV and radio stations took to the airwaves; information technology replaced conventional databases; schools and hospitals were constructed around the country, making education and health care accessible to the general population. The list of improvements is endless and credit must be given to the government for its vision, energy and management of the state of the economy. The small man became the real man, indeed. Working class people became middle class and higher. This developmental trajectory, if compromised, would signal retrogressive consequences.
On the eve of my fifth decade as a lawyer, I went into voluntary retirement upon the accession to office of the incumbent in Dec 2011, and I daresay that none of my previous bosses would have expected me to adopt the status and, admittedly, the disadvantages associated with a working-class person. I am convinced that President Cheddi would not have demanded it since he would not have felt he succeeded in achieving his version of political revolution had he not elevated a major portion of the working class to higher levels of livelihood, beyond even their expectations. While these latter desired social upliftment they benefited from his leadership, for they lacked his vision. Admittedly, the journey is not yet completed. As Che Guevara declared “The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall.” To those in the media I can only advert their attention to the unscholarly but wise admonition of my father: Na tek anada man eye and sleep wit am!
Yours faithfully,
Justice Charles R Ramson SC
Attorney-General and Minister
of Legal Affairs (rtd)
