What you get may be worse than what you have

Sep 29, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

We should be grateful for what we have, because we do not know what we will get. These were the words of wisdom of a friend during a recent discussion we had about the state of affairs in our country.
I was at the time expressing my profound disappointment at the Presidency of Bharrat Jagdeo. I had really expected better under the PPP. I had begun to bare my soul about the disappointment when my friend interjected and reminded me that things could have been worse, and, therefore, despite the obvious shortcomings of the Jagdeo Administration, I should be happy.
I could not believe he would say that. I asked him what could be worse than what is taking place now. The list of things that characterize failed leadership is so long that it is difficult to imagine anything more inferior than what exists at present. So, I asked my friend, “What could be worse than what we have now?”
He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Peeper, the Government may not be up to scratch, the President may have his way, but could you imagine what things would be like if Uncle Freddie were to become President?”
I was momentarily stunned! Well, more than momentarily stunned. I could not find a reply. What my friend was saying made sense. We have all been criticizing the President’s style and record, but think what things would be like if it had been Uncle Freddie instead of Bharrat Jagdeo as President.
Uncle Freddie likes to use a lot of adjectives to describe President Jagdeo’s government. He speaks about micromanagement, about autocracy, about dictatorship, about authoritarianism. He has been highly critical of the style of the President. But I would choose Jagdeo any day and any year over a Freddie Kissoon.
If you really think that Jagdeo is bad, then you have not yet met this fellow we call Freddie Kissoon. If he were President of Guyana, boy, it would have been fireworks day and night! They would have had to invent adjectives to describe his leadership style.
He would have turned this country upside down. Thank goodness that he is not running for office. Can you imagine what Uncle Freddie would have done at the University of Guyana had he been President? Can you imagine what he would have done to his enemies? I can tell you he would not have simply let bygones be bygones. Not Uncle Freddie!
Can you imagine if one of his ministers were to disagree with him during a Cabinet meeting? Can you imagine if he were President and the rest of the region had decided not to go along with his position on the Economic Partnership Agreement? Boy, he would have turned CARICOM inside out! Can you imagine what would happen to Ravi Dev if Uncle Freddie had power?
I went home after that discussion and I could not sleep for days. What my friend said bothered me for days. The more I thought of it, the more I was convinced that my friend was right. How lucky we are to have a Jagdeo instead of a Freddie Kissoon.
Sometimes all that is needed for us to begin to appreciate what we have is a slightly different perspective. We like to bemoan things in Guyana. We like to criticize our leadership. Yet, often we have never had to put ourselves in their shoes:- to make the calls they have to make, to face the pressures of public office and the responsibilities that come with it.
We must learn to accept that our leaders are also human. They are not infallible, they are not perfect. They will make mistakes, and this is part of the learning curve. I have known of no one who has learnt to ride a bicycle without falling down.
Sometimes we unjustly criticize our leaders out of ignorance. Often we are not aware of all the facts, and we presume that our leaders are acting out of ill-will. However, if we try to put ourselves in the place of leaders, we will find out just how difficult leadership can be, especially in Guyana.
And so, to persons like Uncle Freddie, who like to criticize so much, I would urge them to say what they would do had they been in the President’s shoes. Please, just say what you will do.
But please do not get any ambitions about being the President of Guyana, Uncle Freddie, because if that happens, this country will empty faster than an upturned bucket. We will not just have a one-man government if that happens; we will have a one-man country, because every single Guyanese will bail out if Uncle Freddie ever becomes President of Guyana.

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