Is Kwame McCoy the proof of Donald Ramotar’s moral politics?

Mar 07, 2015 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

What a mess civilization has become in Guyana. How do nice people get the psychological courage to live in this hell-hole named Guyana? Does the State Department in the US still dole out a hardship stipend for Embassy staff assigned to this country?
We don’t know that but what we know is that since 1980, 34 years ago, the Caricom Secretariat has not filled its quota of Caricom nationals.
Under the founding charter, Caricom must strike a balance between Guyanese employees and Caricom nationals. Some occupations within the Secretariat cannot be filled by Guyanese once Guyana meets its quota.
This commentator was told ten years ago and in 2012 by the most authoritative personnel in the Secretariat that the Caricom quota has been consistently short over the past three decades. No one from the middle class in the Caricom region wants to live and work in this hell hole.
And why is Guyana such a wreck? Surely economics explain it. Guyana is dirt poor compared to other Caricom territories.
But underdevelopment is not the only factor. Power madness is another.
In which other country you will find the behaviour of the President’s press liaison as we see with Kwame McCoy? This man works closely with the President of Guyana. Mr. Ramotar shouted down the telephone line to Mark Benschop, the following words; “I believe in moral politics.”
The exclamation took place against the backdrop of Ramotar’s son, Alexei. The son was involved in a road accident outside my nephew’s gate in which my nephew’s leg was crushed. Because of the unprofessional conduct of the police, Benschop carried the event on his web page.
In the telephone conversation, which was taped and that I heard, Ramotar chided Benschop for his report. He told Benschop that he endangered Alexei’s life the way he penned the accident. Benschop replied that Mc Coy endangers his life, Benschop, that is, by the nasty things he writes about him.
Ramotar yelled out, “I don’t read or listen to Mc Coy, I believe in moral politics.” I am assuming Mr. Benschop has the tape and we may hear it during the election campaign.
There are a lot of things Ramotar believes in but I doubt that moral politics is one of them. Do we have to define that for a person who is the President of a country in 2015? I think 2015 belongs to the 21st century so I assume Mr. Ramotar should know by now, in the 21st century, what the term, “moral politics” mean.
Let us not engage in any polemical exchange on moral values and have to resort to the great 18th century philosophers like Immanuel Kant and David Hume, two formidable minds that wrote of the meaning of moral values. A person has to be a semi-civilized fool if he/she does not know that moral politics involve the use of the recognition of the right of the citizen to ask questions of the people who administer the country under which they live.
This was what the journalists were doing when they were guests of the leader of the PPP, Mr. Clement Rohee. Mr. Rohee’s party forms the government. Mr. Rohee is also a Minister in the government. Repeatedly in front of Mr. Rohee, Mr. McCoy crassly interfered with the right of the journalist to ask questions of a Minister who makes policies with which the citizenry has to abide.
Implorations to Mr. Rohee to restrain McCoy were ignored. Let us leave aside Mc Coy for the moment. Does Mr. Rohee know what moral politics is? Like Ramotar, he does not. Mc Coy carried on and Rohee enjoyed it. That for Rohee, was moral politics. It seems the understanding of moral values by the PPP leadership may be less mature than a donkey’s.
Mc Coy repeated his exploits and this time went far, far across the line. At a press conference in the building over which Mr. Ramotar presides, the Office of the President, Mr. Mc Coy chased journalists out of the building and menacingly followed Adam Harris into the court-yard using words that need not be repeated here.
A part of Mc Coy’s behaviour was described by Inews, owned by Robert Persaud. The online newscast wrote that Mc Coy tucked Luncheon into a room and went to confront Harris. Where in the world this could happen at the head office of the president of a country?
One of Guyana’s icons a few years ago described Guyana as “piss poor.” But when you read about the power of McCoy and how Rohee, Luncheon and Ramotar could tolerate such repugnancy, then Guyana is not just piss poor but a pissing madhouse.

Latest News

Is Kwame McCoy the proof of Donald Ramotar’s moral politics?

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 24th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Guyanese boxers shine at T&T National Boxing Championships

Dottin, Matthews star as Windies Women crush...

Young Windies Women end U19 T20 World Cup...

Young Eagles, Pride lock up as 4-Day action gets...

GBF hails historic $8B sports budget

GCB bats for Government on sizable $8B Budget...

Features/Columnists

A warning to President Ali on U.S. Overtures

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Trump – Part 2

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Is Kwame McCoy the proof of Donald Ramotar’s moral politics?

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 24th, 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 […]