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Insulting the intelligence of a nation

Jul 28, 2014 Editorial

Sometime you have to wonder if senior public servant Clement Rohee will ever be able to make the distinction between his responsibilities as the Minister of Home Affairs from his political role of General Secretary of the ruling party.  It would resolve a major credibility issue if we can have some idea as to whether that goodly gentleman’s ears listen to what comes out of his mouth.  Politicians who are considered as servants of the people need never to lose sight of that fact when they make public statements like those emanating from the Minister in recent times.  It is inconceivable that anyone with oversight of this country’s premier law enforcement agency could be so blasé when identifying elements of the political opposition as having criminal connections, and not expect that his remarks will be dissected.  This is all the more anticipated since his words and opinions, regardless of how inane they may be, will be in the public domain almost immediately.
The Minister made the claim that the Leader of the Opposition was photographed with the late Kevin Fields as evidence of the PNC being in cahoots with criminals and even went so far as to make the leap that the party benefitted in material ways from those associations.  How can the Minister of Home Affairs insult the intelligence of Guyanese who are wilting under an onslaught of criminality in high and low places by taking the position that the evidence will be produced at some point in time?  Why is it incumbent upon the Opposition Leader to prove or disprove Rohee’s allegations?  Citizens are perhaps foolishly optimistic in their wait for the General Secretary to provide the police with all the incriminating evidence he has at his disposal.  Maybe Rohee the Minister is awaiting submission of the said evidence from Rohee the General Secretary.
It might well be a case of mental fatigue in some quarters which may be responsible for suffering the rest of us with the inanities that pass for profundity.  Although we are a small nation with a small population occupying as it were a tiny space on the world stage we are still subject to scrutiny not least of which would be from the public pronouncements of our leaders.  What makes it all so worrying is the prospect that all who lay claim to our national heritage are at risk of being looked down upon as mediocre comics.  Yogi Berra’s “It’s like déjà vu all over again” is particularly apt with the recent Manickchand brouhaha still in the public’s consciousness.
The General Secretary persisted in shooting himself in the foot by dismissing the analogy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan consorting with the notorious Azad Bacchus who was killed in a shootout with the police.  The police themselves in a statement mentioned that Kevin Fields was unknown to them as a person of interest.  So it certainly did the Minister of Home Affairs’ image no good to be seen as being out of the loop on that score.  Mr. Rohee, like any other citizen with knowledge of the commission of a crime(s), has a duty to make an official report to the police.  If he fails to do so then Minister Rohee has no moral or other ground to require citizens with similar knowledge to so inform the police.
In fact, the Minister’s seeming reluctance to do the right thing has brought into question his beliefs in the capacity and confidentiality of a sensitive agency under his portfolio.  Maybe the Minister has some acceptable justification for vacillating on this issue as against his ministry’s public requests for persons to report a bribe or to make use of the other facilities ostensibly set up to reduce crime and corruption.  How is John Q to be convinced that he is doing the right thing reporting a crime, when no example is being set at the top?
The CARICOM region is observing these idiosyncrasies in our local polity as is the rest of the world, and we are not amused at the image of buffoonery being portrayed by our politicians.  The time has come for a serious reevaluation of what is unacceptable in the public behavior of our policy makers.

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