Dear Editor,
When Guyana gained independence, the game plan of Burnham according to Festus Brotherson was to “implement a coherent set of policies”. From the documents I have read, these policies were clearly articulated subsequently in slogans such as – “Feed, Clothe, and House the Nation” and so forth. So, there was a National Development Plan in 1966.
Why I made these comments? Guyana was also born in an environment of tremendous social pressure especially with regards to the question of human development and national unity that was caused mainly by a very small but highly privileged Georgetown-based elite who benefited from the economic exploitation of the masses? It was all about their cushy civil service jobs and their business interests using the Treasury as if the working class are not also entitled to a piece of the pie. But irrespective of that situation, there was a developmental framework which our people hoped would have liberated the nation from that class oppressive state.
Fast forward 50 years to 2016 and we are still stuck in that backward mindset that launched into statements like “we are entitled to this 50 percent salary increase” three weeks after gaining office on top of a half a million dollar salary but “you all got to wait for this commission to complete its work” before you all get your crumbs on top of your measly $55,000. Not much has changed in the system.
But what is shocking today, is that when people like me highlight these class oppressive mentalities, after spending almost a decade battling PPP elites who ate away at the wealth of the nation, the newly minted apologists of 2016 are trying to lecture us with language to this effect – you are either for or you are against us. You got to be joking!
The struggle is not about one political party or another or one political leader or another; it is about Guyana and how class elitism has caused the nation not to unleash its potential over the last 50 years, leaving a stunted child behind.
When you injure Guyana, whether as a result of gross incompetence or carefully crafted political cunningness, you are injuring an already very injured child called Guyana and I got a problem with that.
You can do what you want with your political opponent, that is “all-yu” business, but not on my nation’s stage and not on my nation’s birthday because if you do, you will hear from me.
So do not ask me now to stay silent as you butcher what little is left of the Presidential Standards because you are too incompetent to manage a national event? There is too much talent in Guyana to allow our nation’s birthday to be fumbled this much, to the point that the world remembers our 50th anniversary best for – “Seat-Gate”.
But “Seat-Gate” was just not a one-night affair. “Seat-Gate” has provided the political hammers and nails to political operatives to build stronger fences between our people bringing even greater pain to this already injured child. What I witnessed in 2011 was the systematic breaking down of those fences but from what I saw in Guyana in February 2016, the fences are back up and “Seat-Gate “ just offers reinforcement to those fences.
For those enlightened minds that are aware of protocols at national events, what was done with respect to guaranteed seating for every bonafide VIP, was at great variance with best practices in the business of planning state functions. Why should other fully seated VIPs be asked to vacate their seats to accommodate incoming VIPs, if the seating plan was competently constructed?
But what is even worse from “Seat-Gate” was that a core mantra of President Granger – “national unity” was injured. But of course this will evade the blinkered minds of the new apologists because they do not have the vision of Nelson Mandela, the great nation healer who said – “in order for us to heal this nation, we have to make peace with our enemy and for that to happen you have to work with him so that he become your partner”.
So as I speak directly to the Junior Minister of Education, the Hon. Ms. N. Henry, I caution – competence is not an advantage, but incompetence is a sin. Whoever botched the seating arrangement has done great harm to the already injured State of Guyana.
Let us all pray for greater professionalism come the 51st anniversary. But we must never give up, Guyana must heal.
Yours faithfully,
Sase Singh
