The outcome and intent are the important factors

Jan 10, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,
I pen this brief response to Mr. Sultan Mohamed’s letter published in the Kaieteur News Friday, January 7, 2022 edition captioned, “Ogunseye’s call for dialogue is commendable”. He was responding to my letter “All Guyanese must rethink their political approach to Guyana’s new reality.”
Mr. Sultan Mohamed response is a typical Guyanese response to political matters. The messenger rather than the message is scrutinised, and he or she becomes the issue. While pretending to give me the benefit of the doubt he is in fact, tearing down the messenger. “It looks like Mr. Ogunseye has had a Kafkaesque metamorphosis of sorts.” And, “Let’s concede Mr. Ogunseye’s makeover to a “new African man” for all intents and purposes is sincere. Let’s concede his call for dialogue is genuine; therefore, most commendable, doesn’t he first need to sell himself to his fellow Africanists to toe the line that he now proposes?” These quotes say it all. I am not prepared to give him benefit that his, “commendable” is sincere and genuine. I say to Sultan Mohamed that whatever metamorphosis I had – “Kafkaesque”, magical or otherwise, it doesn’t matter, what is important is the outcome and intent. My position is the result of the evolving political situation in the country. And my sense that time is not on our side as a nation. We either act now or perish.
At no point in Mr. Mohamed’s missive, he gives recognition to the message except to state “commendable”. I want to caution that sincerity in politics has little to do with statements or utterances, but more with actions. It is the political praxis of political actors that is important. My political involvement in public politics spans more than 50 years. And there is no need for me to “sell myself” old or new. I seek to do what is in the interest of the nation, which includes the African/Indian and other ethnic communities.
Continuing in his cynical ways, he wrote, “Mr. Ogunseye singularly taking on such a herculean task for a new national engagement…” He ignores that my appeal is directed to the nation to embrace a line of march in the interest of the country. This is not my responsibility. It is our responsibility.
In concluding, I wish to say that Mr. Sultan Mohamed has missed the “mark”: we either clean up the national “house” or perish. I hope he gets the message.
Regards,
Tacuma Ogunseye