Punching above your weight

Jul 10, 2014 Editorial

There are things that people do that defy logic, even when those people know better. For example, a man may not strike or abuse his spouse and there are good reasons for such an admonition. The woman, on being abused, reserves the right to defend herself.
Many a man has been maimed, sometimes fatally because he could not refrain from abusing his spouse. He would be asleep and the victim could exact her revenge. Sometimes it is way beyond cruel than one can imagine.
Last week the country was abuzz in the wake of the most non-diplomatic attack against now departed United States Ambassador, Dr Brent Hardt. The government had accused him of disrespecting President Donald Ramotar, as well the General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party, Clement Rohee, and a host of other members of the hierarchy of the political party.
What the ambassador actually did was to remind the government of its constitutional responsibility to hold Local Government elections. He also reminded a group of young people that the government had offered myriad excuses for not holding elections. He debunked all the excuses, particularly those offered by President Donald Ramotar.
It is not unusual for a government to be critical of a position adopted by a diplomat. Venezuela went so far as to expel American diplomats and the United States has repeatedly expelled diplomats serving within its borders.
When there are verbal barbs the timing of those barbs is important. No country would have its representative embroiled in a street brawl. The language is carefully and the time and place are also carefully selected. Sometimes the tenor of the response is often dictated by the level of the country that sparked the diplomatic furore. Words are hardly minced when the attack is directed at a small country.
In this case, a small country with a glaring inability to survive on its own in this technological world, opted to react in the most unbecoming diplomatic manner to the United States. The Ambassador was accused of creating tension between Guyana and the United States from the time of his arrival. That is a serious accusation.
But when one reviews some of the comments made by Government officials in the wake of certain actions by Ambassador Hardt one is left to wonder whether he is the same person being humiliated on his country’s national day.
The government’s chief public servant, its Cabinet Secretary, gloated at the undiplomatic attack against the ambassador. He relished in the attack. But a few short months ago he had the utmost praise for the ambassador. The parliamentary opposition was intractable in its position on the Amaila Falls project. The Ambassador, as is his wont, criticized the parliamentary opposition for allowing the demise of a project that would rescue Guyana from the electricity doldrums. And he was not the only foreigner.
Lo and behold, the same Dr. Roger Luncheon had an interesting comment in the wake of the Ambassador’s admonition not to let the Amaila Falls project collapse.
At a public forum Dr. Luncheon said that he opposition parties would do well to listen to the friends of Guyana. At the time the friend of Guyana was none other than United States Ambassador Brent Hardt. Surely, this could not have been the man whose entry into Guyana heightened tension between the United States and Guyana.
The good thing is that the greater the country the greater is its tolerance of small countries that seek to behave as powerful nations. Nothing that happened on the night of July 2 would affect the issuance of visas because there are laws that dictate the conditions under which visas could be withheld or revoked.
There is one thing that the people of Guyana keep talking about and that is the damage to their reputation as a friendly and a hospitable people. They are also concerned about the duplicity that now seems to be a part of their political life.

Latest News

Punching above your weight

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Beckford brace Slingerz to fourth win on the trot, as Santos topple...

West Indies Women’s World Cup hopes in jeopardy...

GCC, Ogle, East Bank among winners as Demerara...

Unbeaten GCA storm to 2025 title

Tucber Park Cricket Club receives cricket gear...

Young guns flourish at Moo! National Junior’s...

Features/Columnists

Of Silk and Steel

Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future

Rogue cops – only a few around

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Punching above your weight

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]