Where is Guyana’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt?

Aug 13, 2009 Letters

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Dear Editor,
It is most unfortunate that one Todd “the phantom” Morgan was so upset with my writings. I am glad that this letter was sent to Kaieteur News since it is now possible to trace the IP address and expose this phantom writer.
Until I verify authenticity of this phantom writer, there is no reason to respond to these unsubstantiated charged but the most I can offer at this time is – Thank you for your comments.
Let us me make a few issues clear for the reading public:

1. Did Guyana not have a development strategy called the NDS, and what was done with it after the father of the nation passed away? We dumped it?
2. What makes this LCDS any better than our NDS?
3. What is the strategic alternative when the LCDS fails in December? None in place!
4. Guyana is going to be the pin up child for now, for platitude after platitude from all the celebrities of the world who want to be associated with the Green Movement because we fully subscribe to the flavour of the day. However, did Prince Charles or the World Bank Country Representative or the Government of Switzerland offer the minimum US$60 million to make this document implementable? Not a chance!
5. Without this sort of cash in the pot, this document remains a good theoretical teaching aid in a University.
6. To make this document fly, we must assemble a top team (e.g. Bayney Karran, Odeen Ishmael, Clive Thomas, Sir Shridat Ramphal) to lobby the ABC, BRIC and EU countries on what we are offering, what we want and how our vision synchronise with and will help their political and economic ambitions. Let us professionally position this document in front of the right people. Our ad-hoc advocacy of this document is most pathetic.

7. I shall offer India’s public position for the Copenhagen initiatives in a subsequent letter but if any schoolchild reads India’s position, they are sure to agree with my conclusions that this Strategy will not fly. All we have been doing is selling one personality with our LCDS and the fact remains that no one man is capable of positioning such a big issue competently. This is what I mean by personal aggrandisement since it appears as a one-man show and this make this document very high risk because when this key man walks away, what insurance does Guyana have that we will have continuity? Is this another CARIFESTA where we pretend to the Caribbean that we can pull off that short-term measure and then deprive ourselves of a Veladrome, which is a more long-term measure?
Again, I ask the reading public to note some positions that I have advocated for years and still consistently stuck to them like:
1. I still firmly believe that the PNC is a liability to Guyana and has offer Afro-Guyanese very poor leadership after Hoyte left the scene. Only weeks ago I re-emphasised these positions, but I did not see Todd “the phantom” Morgan commenting on that position?

2. I am of the firm belief that the PPP still have many good leaders who genuinely care about Guyana rather than themselves. Top of my list are people like Roger Luncheon, Donald Ramotar, Ralph Ramkarran, Robeson Benn, Moses Nagamotoo, Navin Chandarpal, Frank Anthony, Robert Persaud, and young Irfaan Ali and there many others at the mid level and they must be recognised as such. However, they are all expected to hold their tongue until the time is right. However, I can clearly express my views that something is seriously wrong with the way Guyana is plotting its developmental course and some one must be held responsible for the subsequent misery this experiment will cost us.

3. I have the highest respect for people like Ravi Dev; Raphael Trotman and Prakash Ramjattan, since I think they are some of the most progressive thinker Guyana has at home since the days of the Fenton Ramsohoye’s. These are men ahead of their time and unfortunately the people may not be inclined to reward their intellectual fortitude deservingly because the people do not understand adequately what they represent in the quagmire of misinformation that exist in Guyana. That is why they have to join together and visit every home in every village and get their messages across that they are the alternative to the PPP and not the PNC and thus there is no need for racial fears anymore because they will join with the PPP in crushing the PNC. I always advocated that all Afro-Guyanese can comfortably find a home in either the AFC or the PPP. The fact remains that by just mention the words “vote PNC” or “vote for the Palm Tree” to certain people, and they will tell you, they prefer to eat salt and rice that to be ruled by the PNC. To be honest I feel this way too. I am not racist and I can easily vote for a Raphael Trotman or a Roger Luncheon or a Robeson Benn or a Clive Thomas with no racial fear and no concern about my rights being abused but substitute these Afro-Guyanese names with a Hamilton Green or a Robert Corbin and alarm bells start to ring like crazy. The first four Afro-Guyanese leaders represent a different value structure than the later two and that is the crux of the matter.
8. I have nothing personal against the President but am very disappointed that the realistic dreams and ambitions of Cheddi Jagan are not being given the attention they deserve such as:

a. A social cohesion programme to help our people work out their issues since as a society we going through some of our worst days as suspicion among our people abound;
b. A social programme that will help our youths prepare themselves for nation building rather than continue with the dismal situation where their only alternative is suicide, murder, robbery and crime at a pace like if there is no tomorrow;
c. A crime prevention programme that is results oriented and not the status quo that currently exist which demonstrates reckless irresponsibility at all levels in the power structure and security system as it continue to take its toll on innocent people whom are totally fed up but have no choice but to live through the fear and pray for the best. This is certainly not the way to live;
d. Delivering on our promise to the youths to support them with that Olympic Pool, that Synthetic Track, that Veladrome and those three Sports Complexes in Essequibo, Berbice and Linden.
e. Commence the paving of the Linden to Lethem Road. This will create new jobs and opportunities for our people.
f. My favourite, the Hydro Project. I lived through the PNC regime when we had to study for our GCE “A” levels with Kero Lamp, so why on earth 17 years after the dawn of the new era, children in Guyana are still studying without the support of GPL?
g. What happen to the completion of the MMA that will allow for better management of our water control system?
h. And the list goes on and on.
9. In Guyana today, it appears that financial planning at the highest level is well bedded in “ad-hocy” (tek a 25 million to catch the arsonist, a 50 million for ‘Fineman’, a 10 million for this and that and the other. It is almost like “Comedy Non Stop” in charge at the Treasury, there is no clear long-term developmental plan). I rest my case since Guyana is neither about those whom can afford generators and bodyguards nor those (like me) who have the flexibility to be out of Guyana at this point in time. The real Guyana is about the real people, who have no choice but to withstand the trails and tribulations of living in a blackout infested, crime sympathetic, opportunity deficient, and hopeless situation. It does not matter if you are black or brown because in a hopeless situation, hopelessness is going to be your companion regardless of the texture of your hair.

I know many people in all strata of the Guyanese society who understand and agree with my position but out of fear for themselves and their family, they are holding their peace. They are fearful of raw vindictiveness and Animal Farm measures from the Dark Forces. However, the future will offer them an opportunity to express themselves. I have held my peace for 10 years and enough is enough. I prefer to die, that to witness silently, situations where my people continue to lose opportunity after opportunity because some people with the authority to help them, chose instead to satisfy their personal aggrandisement rather than serve and protect their people. History is replete with these Stalins who brought nothing but misery and stagnation to their people and we must stand up and be counted or we run the risk of short-changing our future generation their true inheritance.
Where is our Franklin Delano Roosevelt? I hope we find him or her in 2011 since time is not on Guyana’s side.

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