Latest update May 22nd, 2026 12:38 AM
I ask the Guyanese people if this is not evanescent ignorance
I wrote that when I was a sixteen year old lad, I worked at the Michael Forde Bookstore, owned by the PPP inside Freedom House building and I stole a philosophy book. Here is Henry Jeffrey’s (the former PPP-Civic Minister) attitude to that youthful act of mine.
He wrote in the letter pages of KN of January 26;” Countless others have been as poor as, if not poorer, than Mr. Kissoon, and have not resorted to theft.”
From a sociological perspective one cannot argue with that premise of Jeffrey.
Now here are the exact words of this man in the same letter justifying the presence of the dictatorial exercise of power by President Jagdeo. “The fact is that many of us, whether in government or not, exhibit dictatorial tendencies…put many of us in Mr. Jagdeo’s position and I suspect that our behaviour would leave us as much, if not more, to be desired.”(end of quote).
For our young readers who may not have immediately grasped the utter nonsense and unbelievable asininity in what Jeffrey wrote, let me explain it, then, I will comment. Here we go.
According to Jeffrey, Freddie Kissoon cannot claim poverty as the reason he stole a book and the explanation is simple as it is sociological – there are poor people that do not steal. This same Jeffrey that tells us what people would do and would not do now informs us that if you take people and put them in the position that Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo is in at the moment, that is the president of a nation, many of us would do worse.
For the sake of emphasized focus and to let you reflect on this amazing piece of ignorance, let us quote Jeffrey once more. “The fact is that many of us, whether in government or not, exhibit dictatorial tendencies …put many of us in Mr. Jagdeo’s position and I suspect that our behaviour would leave us as much, if not more, to be desired.”
In my entire life I have never read such an imbecilic and ignorant opinion or judgement. Let me offer my comment. Freddie Kissoon is wrong to steal because others like him have not stolen. Bharrat Jagdeo is right to be authoritarian because put us in his place and we will do like him. This is simple and straight forward. This is what Jeffrey is saying; nothing more, nothing less.
What do you make of this incredible judgement by a man who has been a Cabinet Minister for seventeen years and almost became our Ambassador to Suriname?
Here is my interpretation of this insane analysis. Fidel Castro ruled Cuba a few months shy of fifty years. Muammar Ghadafi has been in power for over thirty-five years. Adolph Hitler practised widespread racism that led to genocide. Switzerland is ready to repatriate the money of “Baby Doc” Duvalier. Switzerland has done the same for the Philippines in relation to what ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos banked there. Shall I go on? Using Jeffrey’s morbid logic, if we were in the place of a dictator, we would have done the same. According to Jeffrey, perhaps we would have done worse.
So obviously we have to ask Jeffrey why did Chavez change the Venezuelan constitution to do away with term limits but in Brazil, President “Lula” didn’t go that route? We need to ask Jeffrey why Tony Blair didn’t do like all of us human beings that have dictatorial tendencies and tell Gordon Brown that he, Blair, won the election and that he is not stepping down?
Now since all of us are given to dictatorial habits and are likely to do worse, then why did Americans vote for the first Afro-American? Surely the huge white constituencies, using Jeffrey’s logic should have said to themselves that Obama would be no different from Bush.
Please bear in mind Jeffrey’s direct words that if we were in Mr. Jagdeo’s shoes we would have done the same.
So we come back to my poverty on Durban Street, Wortmanville. Put a youth who is poor on the streets and he will steal. Jeffrey says, no. Not all poor persons steal! I am wrong to steal.
However, when it comes to presidents who resort to authoritarian governance, it is understandable because of the beast in all of us. Can anyone believe this unadulterated miasma?
Finally, Jeffrey wants me to provide him with evidence that the government he served for seventeen years has committed unlawful acts. Some people in this life have an inclination to humiliate themselves in the eyes of the public.
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