How things have changed

Jul 17, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
I remember when growing-up in Guyana, the worst whipping a child could experience from his mother, was on her hearing that her child was heard cursing in the streets and when pressed for an explanation for the vulgar behaviour, the child told her that he cursed because the other party had cursed him first.
The intense whipping was because our mothers’ position was that they brought us up to know and behave better. How things have changed!
In a letter penned by no other than the Minister of Home Affairs – Mr. Clement Rohee – which appeared in the Kaieteur News of 15th July 2014, he proudly reiterated the full support of the PPP and government for the vulgar behaviour of the Minister of Education at the home of the American Ambassador.
Indeed for Mr. Rohee, we who signal our disapproval for this vulgarity are “untrustworthy egoists who probably pay no taxes, have no TIN certificate…..”
I would like to point out to our dear Minister of Home Affairs that when our parents flogged us for vulgar behaviour in response to the vulgarity directed at us by others, they were upholding one of the most endearing aspects of our culture and history. We do not hold that once we share a vice with our adversary that makes the vice a virtue. For us, there is simply no excuse for bad behaviour. One thing Mr. Rohee can be assured of, I will not call those of his party who do not understand this value and its historical and cultural significance to us as Guyanese “ignoramuses.”
Like Mr. Rohee, I too was told a story about an encounter involving two persons, one representing power and authority and the other weakness and oppression that I would like to share. It is about an American President who was on the campaign trail and was late for a train that was kept waiting for him, when he got on the platform he was about to pass a slave who was sweeping the area.
The slave took his hat off and bowed in the direction of the President who stopped, took his hat off and bowed even lower in the direction of the slave. The chief of the President’s security detachment turned to him and reminded him he was late and there was no time to be bowing to a mere slave. To this the president responded “Would you like it to be said that a slave is more schooled in good manners than your president?”
I dedicate this story to all those who feel we should be proud of our Minister of Education’s vulgar behaviour at the home of the Ambassador.
Claudius Prince
Dallas, Georgia

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