The President was appropriately dressed

Jul 17, 2022 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News – There was a period in the life of Forbes Burnham when he began to don various military and paramilitary uniforms. After a while, he became the butt of jokes but it was suspected that he was suffering from megalomania – the obsession with power.

He turned up to an event at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) wearing a General’s uniform. He later turned up at an inspection at the Guyana National Service wearing that agency’s uniform. He appeared at the annual Remembrance Day Wreath-laying Event at the Cenotaph in full ceremonial military regalia.

The then Working People’s Alliance found it highly amusing. Burnham’s appearance became so comical that the party pleaded with the Women’s Revolutionary Socialist Movement (WRSM) – the women’s arm of the PNC – not to invite Burnham to any event.

During a recent visit by a delegation from Saudi Arabia, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali was seen donning a red and white chequered guthra similar to that worn by the head of the Saudi delegation. The President’s headwear led to some comment in the newspapers all of which were ill-informed.

There is nothing improper or unpatriotic about a Guyanese President wearing a guthra when meeting a representative from the Kingdom. In fact, it will be considered a sign of respect to do so.

The wearing of the red and white chequered guthra along with the white thobe, a long shirt that reaches the ankles, is part of the traditional wear of that part of the Arab world. It, however, is not unusual to find Guyanese Muslims wearing the long white shirt both for religious and official events.

The President of Guyana is a devout Muslim. He had worn the thobe the very morning to go to prayers in the mosque in his home village. The Saudi delegation visited on Eid-ul-Aza and therefore it was fitting for the President to be bedecked in his religious garb.

It was not an act of cultural appropriation for the President to wear the guthra or thobe. It was an act of respect and solidarity with the visiting delegation, coupled with the fact that this was a holy day for Muslims.

Guthras and thobes are not alien to Guyana. On Thursday, the Imaan who said the prayers at the Demerara Bank-hosted event in Leonora had on an Arabic headwear and shirt.

After the Black Power uprising in Trinidad, Burnham moved quickly to embrace African traditions. He began to don dashikis at public events. No one found that inappropriate or pandering.

It is not usual for Heads of State to don foreign wear during overseas visits. At many international conferences certain clothing are given out and the guests are encouraged to wear them including for photo opportunities. The official photograph of the Caricom Inter-sessional held in Belize, for example showed almost all of the heads wearing the traditional white long-sleeved shirt jac which is worn in Belize.

In 2015, an India-Africa Forum Summit was held in India. All of the Prime Ministers from Africa, except Robert Mugabe (who wore a western-styled suit), in attendance donned India wear for the official photograph.

When Barack Obama was a Senator, he had dressed in a traditional Somali wear when meeting an elder. And at successive Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summits, heads have donned traditional garb for the photo shoot.

It is surprising that one letter writer would find the wearing of the headgear by President Ali inappropriate because, in part, he was representing a country of six races.

So when Burnham wore his suit and tie was this pandering to the western world? Was it inappropriate? When Burnham imposed shirt jacs on public servants was this pandering to certain tastes? Was this inappropriate? Burnham pushed the dashiki as a national fad, was this inappropriate and pandering to anyone? What is the Guyanese dress code, by the way?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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