Book Review: Beautiful but tragic history

Sep 13, 2008 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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During Carifesta, there was a book exhibition by Hansib, the UK-based publishing house owned by a Guyanese migrant.

Unfortunately, Hansib is yet to put out any text dealing with contemporary Guyanese politics other than Frank Birbalsingh’s “The PPP of Guyana, 1950-1992: An Oral History.”

This is a misleading publication (a series of edited interviews) in that the book does not reference Guyana’s political sociology of the seventies and eighties; the interviewer was not competent in his interviewing angles.

Guyanese attending the book exhibition in the National Park did not get an opportunity to glance at the latest publication of the recent history of this sad, tragic and fallen country. From 1997, Guyana’s recording of its current history has been pleasing.

It starts with Nanda Gopaul, “Resistance and Change.” This is useful stuff when looking at one aspect of the Burnham Government; its attitude to the sugar industry.

When one reads Gopaul’s description of the tempestuously long strike (135 days) GAWU called to protest the imposition of the Sugar Levy, it is easy to see the betrayal of everything politically decent by the PPP.

This “monster” of Burnham that the PPP violently opposed, it was happy to live with for twelve years after it came to power in 1992.

Next comes the best general book on Guyana’s political history from the second half of the 20th century, Father Andrew Morrison’s “Justice: The Struggle for Democracy in Guyana, 1952-1992.

This gem is fantastic in the sense that its canvas captures the society’s politics in totality. The others, though priceless materials they are, relate to a specific subject-matter.

In this category is Ferguson’s “Management of Guyana’s Political Economy.” This comes close to being a general text but it is littered with assessments that come close to propaganda.

Specific issue-areas are Baytoram Ramharack on Balram Singh Rai; Clem Seecharran on Sir Jock Campbell; Halim Majeed on Burnham, Kean Gibson on race relations; Kampta Karran on race relations; Maurice St. Pierre on the colonial struggle; David Granger on the army; Steven Rabe on the trouble in the sixties; Mark Kirton and Cedric Grant on governance and conflict resolution; and of course a number of publications on Walter Rodney.

The latest item I referred to above is “Dangerous Times: The Assassination of Walter Rodney” by Gabriehu (one name only).

The title of the book is a wee bit misleading in that it adds nothing new to the murder of Rodney and it is not the author’s analysis of how and why Walter Rodney was killed.

The author adopts the approach of Father Andrew Morrison in that he selects a number of themes rather than a continuous assessment.

He breaks with the approach of Father Morrison in that after each subject, he reproduces the commentaries and reflections of each event as they appeared at the time.

The book is really a reflection of what the author called the dangerous times under Burnham and its climax in the assassination of Walter Rodney. This is a valuable document for persons who were born after the dissolution of the Burnhamite machinery.

It is an extremely useful item for every Guyanese to have who fear that Guyana is sliding backwards. The author describes the tentacles of Burnham and how it smothered an entire nation.

The beautiful value of this book is that it allows Guyanese to see who their true heroes are; many of them from the Working People’s Alliance. The cold-blooded murder of WPA’s Office Manager, Ohene Koama makes for sad reading. Life is indeed unfair.

The Government of Guyana sets aside resources to celebrate each year the memory of two of its members killed in the 1973 election protest in Berbice.

The PPP refers to them as the Ballot Box martyrs. But Guyanese under the age of 35 know nothing about Ohena Koama who was publicly executed by the secret police.

The most depressing recitation of the Burnham period in this publication is the pathologist’s (Dr. Leslie Mootoo) description of the dead body of Walter Rodney in his blown up car. The book traces the needless murder of Vincent Teekah and clearly brings out the role of state in this killing.

“Desperate Times” is a graphic reminder of what a horrible person Burnham was. I believe after reading this compilation that persons who were close to him should immediately apologize to this nation for what Burnham did. Some people will face embarrassment from this text.

After reading “Dangerous Times” and what this country has been through, Guyanese should demand it never happen again. But it is happening all over. Dangerous times are still here. Do people learn from the mistakes of the past?

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