Is fear intrinsic to civilization? The Niemöller tragedy

Feb 10, 2013 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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The answer is yes. It will be like this until civilization dies. Fear is to the human mind what love, ambition, happiness, music, money, health, life itself are. People want to love and be loved. People want money to acquire the things their minds, hearts and souls desire.
It is the same with fear. It is a natural thing in people.  Fear is the antitheses of happiness and because of this line-fault in civilization’s evolution, fear will forever dominate the world’s existence.
The world’s majority live in trepidation of their happiness being taken away and for this reason, silence in the face of absolute power, of unlimited power, of naked power, of depraved authority, of abusive authority will prevail in human society.
Modern man and woman will forever embody the fright of being hurt by abusive leaders. But there is a contradiction in the relation between fear and freedom. Ironically, the intertwining of the two is a paradoxical one. If fear prevents you from using your voice or pen, that fear eventually destroys your happiness.
This was the theme of so many post-World War 2 philosophers after the experience of Hitler. It is best captured in the story of the Anglican priest, Martin Niemöller in Nazi Germany. He wrote that: “They came for the Jew, I wasn’t one; they came for the Catholic, I wasn’t one; they came for the unionist, I wasn’t one; they came for the industrialist, I wasn’t one; then they came for the Protestant priest and then there was no one left to be concerned.”
In Guyana, part of my world is about meeting people who have lived their entire life in fear. Fear is a shadow that stalks this land from the time the colonials arrived and long after they left. But those whose silence helps them preserve their happiness end up being unhappy in ways they would never have contemplated.
I have met people in this country who bluntly would tell me that they are comfortable with their own obliviousness to the abuse of power. They do not want to invoke the wrath of powerful people who they are afraid would retaliate. The list is never-ending. It includes big and small business people, honest, hard working civil servants, teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, journalists, university lecturers; the entire gamut.
From time to time, I would meet some of these people and the fear that they cultivated in their minds eventually destroyed their freedom and happiness. Some potent examples are good lessons from which we can all learn.
I met a family who was afraid to speak up against a dust pollution problem in an East Coast village, because the industrialist is highly protected by the Government. One day the family was thrown in turmoil because a death occurred in a State-run hospital which, when you read about the facts, was due to incomprehensible incompetence.
I have encountered many such cases where incompetence and neglect in State-run hospitals caused brought unbearable suffering because of the resulting deaths. Had they spoken up, their government may have listened.
People would tell me that they are quite content to avoid any condemnation of the abuse of power, but in the end their own fear created unhappiness for them. You had this Muslim young man paid by the State to write nasty things about anti-government critics on a particular blog.
He became a bitter man when his girlfriend was raped in Essequibo. I sent him to Red Thread and other places. I never knew if he went.
Then there are the countless examples where people who are not concerned with voicing a critical comment of governmental wrongdoing, ended up being very depressed because those who killed or injured their relatives in car accidents have extensive contracts with the hierarchy of the police force and the government, and justice was never served.
We come now to Mr. Anand Goolsarran. He wants to stand down as an AFC appointee to be a Commissioner on the Procurement Commission. Mr. Goolarran cites vicious attacks on his character from Government-aligned forces.
While one understands the fear Mr. Goolsarran has about the continuation of these conspiracies against his character, the contradiction he faces is that he has to make a choice between staying silent and watch fear take over his country, or serve the land of his birth so that either sooner than later or later than soon, Guyana will be a country where fear no longer exists.
It is not easy to advise people who are frightened by the viciousness that abusive governments heap on them, but my sincere wish is that he stays in Guyana and serves his country. Guyanese want him to do that.

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