“The mind is a democratic source of power. We are ALL endowed with it”

Nov 29, 2015 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

(Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s remarks at the 2nd Graduation Ceremony of Texila American University)
“I am here to offer heartfelt congratulations to all Graduands, both Guyanese and citizens from other countries. I hope that many of you would remain in Guyana to practice your oaths and sacred commitments

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo receives the honour of Excellence in Public Service from the Texila American University. (OPM – Guyana photo)

to duty and service.
Today came about as a result of dedication and sacrifice on the part of the students and their families, on the one hand, and on the other, dogged perseverance and steadfast commitment to academic excellence by the University’s leadership and staff.
In this regard, I would like to recognize the high level of scholarship produced by the TAU (Texila American University), and I pay tribute to Mr. Saaju Bhaskar, President of TAU, the Vice-Chancellor and his Management/Teaching Team.
To those of you who have had to leave your homes thousands of miles away to come to a foreign land to study in such a demanding discipline, we know that it could not have been easy for you. I trust that in spite of the challenges you might have encountered, you have found our country welcoming and our people hospitable, which would have contributed immensely towards making these past years not just bearable but enjoyable and rewarding.
I want to particularly commend the students from Nigeria who took the initiative to form an Association and to organize cultural activities, to not only keep your rich culture and traditions close to your heart, but also to share them with Guyanese with whom you share your ancestry.
The established presence of a private Medical University in Guyana is further evidence of open partnership in both the health and education sectors. While it is easy to say that private-public partnership is here to stay, I am aware that TAU in past years had faced many difficulties with Government bureaucracy, red-tape and non-responsiveness to requests for concessions so that you could expand.
Texila nevertheless, moved from an initial enrollment of only 7 students to 450 from over 38 countries – students who have come to Guyana to live and study. Of these 450 I am told, 120 are Guyanese nationals who benefited from a 50% concession and who, in time, would join the ranks of the medical profession in Guyana.
I understand that TAU aims to build a new campus, the first education-tourism initiative in Guyana, with an anticipated capacity of at least 1,600 students. This will certainly give a boost to Guyana’s economy and to the country’s reputation in the international community as a health-educational centre. I applaud this bold and innovative venture.
The Government of Guyana recognizes the benefits of such an investment. It would allow for the expansion of quality medical education and research at a time when our own Medical Faculty at the University of Guyana has been allowed to decline in academic standards. So, today TAU is filling a void for certifiable medical education. You have graduated your second batch of Doctors of Medicine who survived the rigorous demands of academia.
I encourage you, Graduands, to practice with dedication and diligence what you have learnt; to constantly build on the knowledge and expertise that you have gained; and above all, to stay true to the noble principles and values of the medical profession, i.e. compassion, selflessness, service and integrity.
In this regard, allow me to share the advice of a 16th Century Swiss physician, Paracelsus. He stated that physicians must learn from the practical and everyday experience of knowing and respecting their patients: they must respect their cultures, their habits and their personalities. Hippocrates, the 5th Century Founder of Western Medicine, had stated that physicians should show “strict professionalism, discipline and rigorous practice.” They should be calm, honest, serious and compassionate. Those are what I call “heavy” manners!
You have chosen a path of scientific inquiry about the human condition, our frailties, our susceptibility to illnesses and injuries, and our need for medical care and attention. You have chosen the path of service.
I grew up, aroused always by the poetic music of Rabindranath Tagore, who taught that there is a heaven of freedom “where the mind is without fear” and “where knowledge is free”. Not so today when the technological revolution has brought us all to the middle of the pitch and we could shine as equal players as we do in cricket.
Access to academic institutions has become less restrictive, as we can see from the example of Texila American University. It is at institutions such as this that you could be what you dreamt to become – a medical doctor, medical technician, dentist or graduate in a related Health Science field. Attending a university, above all, is about enriching the mind and empowering yourselves.
Speaking about the human mind, I wish to focus on the three M’s – Money, Might and Mind. Some believe that MONEY is limited and does not guarantee sustainable success. We saw this when the giant company Enron collapsed. It was said that Enron was too big, too rich, to fail but it did! Others feel that MIGHT is everything. But soon we learn that a gun runs out of bullets, that the mighty like the Romans and later the British Empire and the German war machines, have all crumbled.
Only the MIND holds inexhaustible, renewable power! We see that in the creation of the internet, in the use of the electro-magnetic spectrum, in the flow of data and video on the information superhighway. Knowledge today is becoming accessible by all. We too can enrich our minds, renew our knowledge-base, make a difference in who we are and what we are capable of doing. The mind is a democratic source of power. We are ALL endowed with it.
As medical practitioners, however, you are constrained by the Rules of Engagement, by your Oath, by codes of conduct. You must be aware that the media have become all intrusive but also more helpful in what we do and how we do what we do. We are not allowed to indulge in professional malpractices. We are not allowed to be negligent. But you don’t have to hold back. You must not curtail your skills. Do what you are trained to do with diligence, with competence, with confidence!
Finally, I bring you congratulations from President David Granger who regrets not being here to share in this historic and auspicious occasion. The President went to Malta to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit, and I am honoured to be here in his place, and on his behalf, to share with you these unforgettable moments of academic achievement.
It is often said that leaders are seldom recognised in their own land which is why I am very humbled by your kindness…” (for the offer to confer on him an Honorary Doctorate Degree which he humbly asked to be postponed).