There must be a collective for- healing a battered nation

Sep 18, 2011 News

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When Andrew ‘Six head’ Lewis pounded James Page into submission and relieved him of his World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight belt, the entire nation erupted into throes of ecstasy. So too, when Guyanese cricketers defeated their Trinidadian counterparts and carted off the inaugural Sanford T20 cricket accolade, the shouts of ecstasy reverberated throughout the country.
When one juxtaposes the achievements of our politicians and those of our sports ambassadors, one immediately detects the fractured responses of the masses to the political issues as against the cohesive celebratory responses to sports achievements.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Andrew Lewis belong to different ethnic groups yet their achievements on the field and in the ring respectively, are widely heralded as a Guyanese achievement. On the cricket field Clive Lloyd and Rohan Kanhai were equally regarded and hardly anyone distinguished between their ethnicity.
Our politicians are yet to demonstrate such maturity and most times despite their disjointed stances and vile exchanges, blame each other for the adverse spin offs of their attitude. Irrespective of personal feelings, no one could dispute the contributions of such political stalwarts as Forbes Burnham, Desmond Hoyte, Cheddi and Janet Jagan and quite recently, Bharrat Jagdeo. Yet the outlandish rhetoric emanating from the lips of our present day political leaders seem to relegate the past contributions of our deceased (and even those alive) political stalwarts to the rubbish heap.
Last Friday, the evidence of a disjointed nation became apparent at a function that should have served as a great unifying force. Outgoing President, His Excellency, Bharrat Jagdeo was heralded as a great leader by large sections of the nation at an occasion organized to highlight his contributions to the Guyanese economy during his twelve years presidential rule.
The occasion failed to attract the involvement of the opposition politicians. We were told that the event was funded by members of the corporate community that recognized Mr. Jagdeo’s contribution and wanted to acknowledge those contributions in a tangible way, not posthumously but while he is alive and can truly appreciate the gesture.
One thing was certain; despite the thousands that supported the event, it was difficult to truly herald the celebrations as a collectively national event.
Over the years we have witnessed several leaders from two political parties, the PNCR and the PPPC, control the reins of power. There were glorious as well as sad moments during the 28 years rule of the former party and the damning rice flour age when the importation of wheat flour and other much needed staples was taboo.
Despite such debilitating policies one cannot simply erase the input of the PNC and its enhancement of the physical and social infrastructure.
One also cannot simply ignore the change of stringent policies under the Desmond Hoyte-led government. Adversely, following the death of the founder leader and the ascension to the top office by Mr. Hoyte, we witnessed some of Burnham’s policies being relaxed.
Further, Hoyte adopted a zero tolerance disposition to crime. Those old enough to remember would admit that his ‘Hang dem High’ policy, enacted after the ‘kick down the door’ banditry evolved, was a practical and effective response to that phenomenon when it surfaced.
Conversely, those that engaged in research and peruse the contributions of the late Janet Jagan on the political scene will deeply appreciate that the former Chicago resident, who traveled to Guyana via seaplane, in total contravention of her parent’s wishes, to be with her husband, Dr Cheddi Jagan, during Guyana’s fight for independence, would have made a viable contribution to the political culture of this nation.
It is also foolhardy to dispel the contributions of former Prime Minister, Hamilton Green, Vincent Alexander, Robert Corbin and the host of other politicians that have sweated over the many years for a better Guyana. Unfortunately, the acrimonious political climate has caused citizens to dispel these contributions and in place of respect and honour, treat our political stalwarts with scorn when adoration should be the order of the day.
During the activities at the National Stadium, Mr. Jagdeo called for the reinstatement of national pride and most importantly, the healing of all wounds of the past. That this nation needs to unite and operate as a unit goes without saying. We are at an important juncture in history when for the first time the two term presidential rule would be enacted.
While the political parties remain the same, the players at the helm will undergo a metamorphosis. Regardless of which party forms the government, life will go on and all Guyanese, regardless of political affiliation will have to live with the situation.
It is important to note that the most powerful man in the land has called for unity. It is also instructive that such calls are uttered while Mr. Jagdeo is in the driver’s seat. This nation has been battered by drug scandals, death squads, phantom units and a host of unpalatable vices. Bursting at the seams it is unlikely to survive another five years of such acrimony and discontent.
Despite the fact that the celebrations at the Providence Stadium failed to attract support across the political divide, the crowd composition suggested a racial balance. It was a splendid opportunity to reiterate the need for an initiation to the healing process.
Mr. Jagdeo sang the swan song but unless these words are followed by positive action we would be forced to pronounce them as pure political rhetoric and then last Friday’s activity would have lost its true significance and purpose.

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