Mr. Jagdeo is Guyana’s Barack Obama

May 08, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

One wonders why Mr. Jagdeo has not as yet created waves in the region and beyond the blue sea of the Caribbean. Mr. Jagdeo, it is claimed, is of the same cloth as Barack Obama and was known for his Obama style long before Obama first stepped into the eyes of the world.
If one carefully analyses the PPP and the Government of Guyana’s evaluation of Mr. Jagdeo and his policies, then indeed this young man from Unity on the East Coast was a Barack Obama years before we, in Guyana and the world, became so smitten by the character, integrity, charisma, vision and uniqueness of the American President.
We can start with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Defenders of Mr. Jagdeo are not impressed with leaders who have rushed to implement the FOIA in their respective countries. We are told that the easy access to information that the FOIA allows citizens is in full operation under Mr. Jagdeo’s presidency so the FOIA is superfluous.
The explanation goes on to say that vital information about the state and its business is in
the public domain and such data have been released by the Government. This is the democratic approach of the Government of Guyana that renders the FOIA unnecessary. We are told that the government allows its business to float in public space so it can be secured by citizens.
They do not need an FOIA to get what they want. Unless I read it wrong, this is the response of the government to not having an FOIA.
Such an approach to governance has indeed preceded the presidency of Mr. Obama. The
American President seems quite willing, as part of his character, to give the American people information as part of the democratic process. It appears that Mr. Jagdeo has been doing that since 1999. The Guyanese President had a nine-year jump on President Obama.
Next, there is an Obama habit that Mr. Jagdeo possessed before Obama showed the world this particular inclination. On reaching 100 days in office, Mr. Obama had held a number of meetings with the press. He likes to field questions from the media. It is the same with Mr. Jagdeo. Perhaps before this publication hits the vendor’s stand, Mr. Jagdeo will have another meet-the-press occasion.
In the realm of caring for the broad masses of people who fall into lower and middle income brackets, Mr. Obama is their man. From all that has come out of his mouth since he took on Mrs. Clinton for the Democratic Party nomination, it seems that he wants a redistribution of American wealth and he doesn’t appear to be wavering on that conceptualization.
So open is Mr. Obama’s wish to help working Americans that the Right and Far-Right have scandalized him as a socialist. Well, it seems Mr. Jagdeo has been taking care of his people nine years before Obama touched down.
When the Dialogue which Mr. Corbin inherited from Mr. Hoyte broke down, Mr. Jagdeo blamed a recalcitrant opposition and told the press that he wants the Dialogue to move to Parliament because he wants to spend his time helping the Guyanese people. Mr. Jagdeo went into overdrive when he condemned the EPA saying publicly that it is not in the interest of his people.
One must remember that in dealing with this topic, Cheddi Jagan repeated umpteen times the belief of his that he was a Gorbachev long before Russia produced its Mikhail Gorbachev. Sadly, this was in Dr. Jagan’s imagination. Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the 20th century’s great figures
So there we have it – Guyana has its Barack Obama long before America produced its Barack Obama. But there are some disturbing differences.
The American Obama would never address a press conference and use words like “sleaze ball,” “fool,” to describe media people that he does not agree with. It is not in his chemistry.
It is absolutely certain that the American Obama would not subtly hint that a media functionary he disagrees with is ugly. It is not in the blood of the great Barack Obama to resort to such an insulting style. One can say most definitely that President Obama would not attend an important ceremony where there is a large gathering and proclaim; “I know I am controversial but I don’t care.”
The genuine integrity in the character of Barack Obama would not allow him to make such unbecoming statements. In the end one can say that if there is a Barack Obama in power in Guyana then it is in a fictional book some Guyanese author is writing. It surely cannot be in real life.

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