There isn’t another leader in the world like President Jagdeo

Sep 07, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Inside the deep recesses of my mind, soul and heart, I hope no other country in the world tastes the bitter fruit of a leader like the president we have in Guyana. I hope no nation becomes unlucky and unfortunate to get a leader like the Guyanese President. From the bottom of my heart, I believe there is something troubling about this man. No leader behaves the way Bharrat Jagdeo does.
Awarded the title Champion of the Earth by the UN, Mr. Jagdeo invited a large gathering of citizens to the Convention Centre to offer a speech of acceptance. All the diplomats were there. Then the President launched in a condemnation of some of his critics. No intellectual language was used; a cuss-down attitude took over.
He told his listeners (assuming that they were paying attention) that there are five old men who refuse to see that their time has passed and he went into a tirade about these “old men” as if he was very much younger than them. What ran through the mind of those diplomats?
He scored a first in the world when he took a placard and demonstrated in front of the National Stadium during the One-Day series against Pakistan. Riled up at the dropping of Chanderpaul, his picket read; “The WI Cricket Board is a disgrace.” He stood there alone with no one influenced by him. The stands were packed to capacity. He confused the Board with its selection panel.
There may be times when the Board doesn’t know who was picked and who was dropped until maybe they read it themselves in the media. The point is the WI Board itself did not leave out Chanderpaul. The coach, Ottis Gibson, played a role in that decision. But for the leader of a Caribbean nation, look at the tone of his placard! One wonders which was or who was the disgrace on display?
Speaking about the indignation people showed at the two-week remand of a teenager for allegedly showing his middle finger at a passing presidential escort, he referred to the group of demonstrators at his press conference last week outside State House as “loonies.” These were not Benschop, Kissoon, Witter and Lewis. These were not the AFC people. These were not the PNC members. But they still earned the title “loonies,” Just as he missed the point in the Chanderpaul dropping, he missed the purpose of the protest.
People were angry that the boy spent two weeks on remand. Anywhere in the world, he would either have been warned or told to bring his parents or simply put on bail. The demonstrators around State House made their vexation plain for all to see – the lad should not have been placed in custody.
Why are citizens referred to as lunatics by the Head of State in a country when they show lividness at what the courts did to a teenager who was in fact charged and placed in custody for two weeks for merely pushing out (if in fact he did that) his middle finger? Mr. Jagdeo was completely unaware that the picketers were annoyed at the mistreatment of the teen.
How often do you see a Head of State call a public meeting to discuss a national issue then most arrogantly refuse a stakeholder the right to ask a question. This happened to Christopher Ram at the Cultural Centre. Prime Ministers and Presidents do not behave like this. Where is the similarity anywhere else in the world? Simple courtesy was to let Ram ask his question, then, answer it in a way that met your duty as a President. This is how leaders behave. It is the correct way to behave. When you have that title of Prime Minister or President, then serious moral obligations follow that ordinary citizens are not burdened with.
President Jagdeo was fuming at the driver of the truck. He said he should have been the one to be charged not the teenager. He explained that the driver refused to heed the siren and get out of the way of the incoming presidential cars and urged that the man be charged.
The Stabroek News did an interesting editorial on respect for the Office of the President that we need to be reminded of. The editorial asked the question if people should show respect to that office given the kind of conduct that emanates from that part of Guyana. There is a high official that works there in the area of presidential assistance.
He personifies, along with the Leviathan, all that is so tragic about this country.

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There isn’t another leader in the world like President Jagdeo

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