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Ambitions of Forbes Burnham and Bharrat Jagdeo

Mar 04, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
I refer to Freddie Kissoon’s article, “Power and Wealth and the Fraudian  Anger of David Granger” (Kaieteur News 01/03/2011) and his comparisons of Jagdeo and Burnham stating that “Jagdeo is old story as he hails from the countryside from a poor family without any strong connection to education and it would be a mismatch to compare the two”.
Freddie, don’t forget, that although Jagdeo may not be in the educational category of Burnham, he has a heart and warmth for the people considering the short term he served them whereby your educated, and eloquent Burnham with his English values, had the people suffering for 28 years. Freddie, you described how post-colonial middle class Africans were schooled in the various educated and skilled occupations and saw themselves as the “custodian of the English culture and the land belonging to the State.”  Very well said here Freddie! Although they occupied the good positions you mentioned as compared to the less educated Indians, they lived just as the English, and that is to work in the skilled occupations you described, spend their money on having a good time and never think about the future or owning a roof over their heads, and lived only for the day.
Whereas the poor illiterate Indians would work their unskilled or rice farming jobs, put aside a few dollars and make sure they have a piece of land and a roof over their heads. Freddie, the English value you described was exactly the same when we came in England in the fifties, and that was to work, spend their salaries on nice things, partying, go for two weeks holiday in Spain, expect the Government to give them a Council house (houses given to the homeless and poor) and when they die, the State to bury them and had no ambition of owning their own property.
It was only when foreigners came to England, work hard and save their menial salaries having paid their rents, and bought their own properties, the English became jealous of this. So Freddie, you are right in describing the post-colonial Africans as custodian of the English culture; and when the Indians, many of whom were not educated as you described began to work, save and think about the future, own a business or a bit of land and build a little roof over their heads, the Africans feel they have the right to rob or burn it down and is screaming about marginalisation and discrimination in Guyana.
So you see Freddie, education is not everything and the educated  Africans you described had better opportunities to progress because of the skilled occupations they occupied in comparison to the Indians who were merely farmers, but the Africans lived the mentality of the English culture which was living for the day and not think about the future. So you see Freddie, what good has Burnham’s education and English values done for Afro-Guyanese after 28 years as compared to that of the less educated Jagdeo’s shorter term?    Freddie, do you still believe in the “English values”? I still feel the Indian one is the best, which is Food, Clothes and Shelter.
Mona Chaitram

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