Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 17, 2020 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
In the beginning, they rode into town from over the horizon. They saw themselves as saviours of this society, men and women with pious dispositions, and comforting declarations. Then things fell apart. More than one of them collapsed into an ignominious jumble, patented pretenders, they turned out to be.
As I expected, they were not what they held themselves out to be. I speak of most of those from the new parties contesting in the elections frenzy and circus. They are neither truthful nor principled nor patriotic nor profound in the things that are desperately needed by this country, the things that matter to its conscientious people. As the days passed, and the pages of their histories, their contexts, and their visions were turned and became more decipherable, they appeared in a different light – a defamatory one – in glaring terms, and with steely finality.
First, almost all of the new people manifest those tiring and deplorable national characteristics that are of the self-promoting, the self-aggrandizing, and the self-serving; their focus is on one thing: positioning for self-enriching. It could not be concealed; few bothered to hide, who they really are, so contemptuous they were and are of the Guyanese voter.
So sure of themselves, so arrogant as to their appeal and the undetectable nature of their lack of character, of what it takes to be a true leader, of a genuinely committed patriotic striving mightily with all to make this land a better place, and lift all boats. They were wrong, because only a literal handful of the gullible paused to gaze at the spectacle they presented. They were that obvious, that dismissible, that meaningless.
Now with intelligence seeping out into the public domain, all of this is confirmed. The insights from the inside indicate that they falsified papers; they hemmed and hawed about citizenship; they stabbed one another in the back within their own groups. As anticipated, they played games with the competition, as they went back and forth seeking opening, probing for acceptance, pushing for partnership (coalescing), while selling the same commodity (themselves) several times over. There were no takers. They bring nothing with them, but baggage.
The first issue was that nobody wanted to lay their cards on the table and show their hand; nobody was interested in straight talk; but spoke from many sides of their mouths. The second roadblock was that everyone wants to be president, prime minister, or mandarin in the new Guyanese order. The third limitation was that egos were immovable and irreconcilable; such are the products of selfish ambitions.
Those of the new crowd, who belatedly realised that they were not going to make the grade or attract substantial votes were looking for continuity, so that they could still be a player in the shadows.
Editor, since this is what the newcomers embody and project, since there is nothing about them that is about country, then give me Lucifer. And if this is about the best that is out there and representative of youth and religion and commerce, then give Guyanese a return to the devil that has misled, hurt, and poisoned them.
Rather regrettably, that means the continuing hegemony of the political duopoly that suddenly do not appear to be so uninviting, so damnable. They are known quantities of a questionable quality; but there is nothing unknown of the deeply sullied aspects of those two enduring behemoths, that have ruled the roost. What a roost it is!
Because if the new and untried are already entangled in a dogfight in a sealed crab barrel, then there is no space left for them, but to devour each other now, and us later. For this is what ego, the lust for power, the drive for supremacy by the puny and pathetic amounts to at their cores; these who did anoint themselves as the promised ones.
Who would trust them with anything to do with power or petroleum or the wellbeing of the populace? Count me out. Some of them are not worthy to be dogcatcher or garbage collector. Yet they persist for a foothold: to be president or PM, or someplace close to the plums of power.
They bring recoiling. They are not worthy of any attention, interest, trust, or vote. If this is what we have that surfaces at this election time, then we have less than nothing. This stands as stark testimony to the caliber of people that inhabit this country; the third-rate people with third tier values parading in a Third World place.
To repeat something that I wrote before, there was capital flight; and there was the exodus of the cream of the crop (the best and the brightest) for decades on end. And then, to a large extent, there was an entire nation left with these dregs that form its professional class, its aspiring political class, its potential rulership class-in-waiting, its unethical class. This is what rises today to offer hope, to rescue us.
I am glad I had the grace to say no, to distance myself from the marketers. Let this be said unambiguously: the new people cannot take anybody anywhere. They themselves struggle to find for a welcoming harbour. Anywhere with any group would be acceptable, just so that they stay in the running, so they can either barter or sell for personal profit.
I hate myself for saying this, but if this is the youth presence and new presence, give me the old presence, who suddenly look relatively better to muddle along with and hope for the best. Yes, this is what we have been reduced to, how the canvas is blank and decrepit. Why am I here? Why am I involved? Why do I care? In answer to the last question, I know why: because I do.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
Mar 28, 2024
Minister Ramson challenge athletes to better last year’s performance By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – Guyana’s 23-member contingent for the CARIFTA Games in Grenada is set to depart the...B.V. Police Station Kaieteur News – The Beterverwagting Police Station, East Coast Demerara (ECD) will be reconstructed... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – In the face of escalating global environmental challenges, water scarcity and... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]