Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 27, 2015 Editorial
Guyana suffers from a serious deficiency that has made its people unusually vulnerable to propaganda.
This deficiency is a conspicuous absence of a comprehensive, incontestable record of Guyana’s history. For many years, unscrupulous persons and groups have relentlessly and callously exploited this weakness for divisive, partisan purposes.
The net effect is that many (probably most) Guyanese have to make do with distorted and mistaken perceptions of public figures and events that have shaped the conditions under which they live today. Indeed, a great deal of what people accept as historical facts are myths, lies and propaganda.
For example, this murky and deceptive wasteland has produced grossly disparate accounts of the lives and legacies of three late outstanding Guyanese leaders — Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham and Dr. Walter Rodney.
Thousands of Guyanese are still around who had intimate knowledge of these men and what they did. Yet, there is no definitive, irrefutable historical record of their contributions to Guyana and there is deep division about whether their historical roles were ultimately beneficial or detrimental. This is compounded by the fact that the division is usually along ethnic lines.
It is tragic that Guyana’s recent history is so convoluted and so poorly and prejudicially recorded that distinctly different versions of so-called historical ‘facts’ are peddled by different sources and in different places. This has led to a ludicrous scenario in which half of the country tends to believe one version, while the other half tends to believe something else entirely.
Last week, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late President Forbes Burnham, one set of Guyanese showered their memory of him with boundless adulation. They publicly relayed an impressive record of his dreams, schemes and accomplishments. Next month, another set of Guyanese will gather to commemorate the death anniversary of the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan. They will celebrate their memory of him with ardent praises, crediting him with superlative vision and an exemplary record of achievements.
These incidents showcase the inconsistencies prevalent in the Guyanese people’s perceptions of their nation’s history. In expressing their reverence for their respective ‘fathers’ of the nation, these two groups of Guyanese will give accounts of historical events that were so diametrically different that they were mutually exclusive.
The Rodney Commission of Inquiry is a prime example of historical views and records going askew with the passage of time.
When important historical events are remembered and recorded completely differently by different sets of people, what is the true history of Guyana and its political personalities and events?
Incredibly, some of the most compelling information about Guyana’s recent history came from the archives of a foreign nation — declassified ‘cold war’ documents from the USA giving that nation’s perspective of British Guiana in the 1960s.
The unwholesome practice of different sets of Guyanese giving vastly different accounts of history-making personalities, issues and events in Guyana shows no signs of abating soon. Right now two huge factions are giving opposing versions of the nature and underlying causes of the escalating crime situation.
Public accusations from these groups are flying across the divide regarding who are in bed with ‘corrupt elements’. Impartial Guyanese are having a monumentally difficult time trying to sift some truth from the propaganda. What would be the enduring historical record of these events unfolding today?
One thing is clear. Unless far greater numbers of qualified and committed Guyanese take the time and trouble to record meticulously and truthfully material that is historically significant, our history would always be trapped in a mire of uncertainty and doubt and this nation would continue to be fertile ground for the most pernicious propaganda.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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