I have become a Minister of Government

Apr 01, 2016 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Got ya! I am sure you found the caption curious and peeped more into the article. But today is All Fools’ Day. It is April 1.
Me? Of all persons; me accepting a ministerial designation? If there is anything I fear in this life on Planet Earth, is power; what a destructive element in life. Before the ink was dried on their appointment paper, I was told the Ministers were in touch with Digicel and GT&T to acquire new cell phones. They no longer answer their pre-election numbers.
The word “horrible” is even mild to describe what friends have told me about “the ministerial attitude.” People have told me the whopping sums they put in the hands of party leaders who begged for money during the election campaign but these big boys now do not even instruct their secretaries to return a call or an email. And they cannot be had on their cell phones because they do not use their old numbers and only a select few have the new numbers.
One of my bad habits that unfortunately will never leave me is my Wortmanville experience. You grew up rough, then, rough anger is never far away. Except for Minister Bulkan who I went to see last month about one of his employees who had a problem, I have not seen or spoken face to face with any Minister of the APNU-AFC Government since that formation became a reality in May 2015.
Within that ten-month period, I have called Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, twice on formal matters. And I called Khemraj Ramjattan once; the request was if I could have quoted him on a particular thing he once said to me, since I was doing a column on the subject
The reason has to do with power. Power contains disrespect, vanity, pomposity, hubris, contempt, attitudes of grandeur. I have stayed completely away from people with power, because I am afraid that if treated flippantly, my Wortmanville vocabulary will fly out my mouth. Trust me, Minister or priest or pandit or moulvi or businessman or doctor or lawyer or journalist or teacher, if you unnecessarily insult me, you will receive my Wortmanville vocabulary.
I remember about three years ago, I received a call on my cell from a female voice who told me that her boss would like a copy of my research on the practice of racism by the Jagdeo Government that I used as my defence in the Jagdeo libel trial. This was the CEO of one of Guyana’s leading insurance companies. This was incredible hauteur. This man could not afford me the basic courtesy of saying, “Hello Mr. Kissoon, this is Mr. John Jones, I would appreciate it if you can facilitate me a copy of your interesting research.” I guess you know how the conversation with his secretary went.
So I keep away from power. I have known Moses Nagamootoo for more than forty years now, but have not seen or spoken to him since he became Prime Minister. The things people have told me about ministerial attitudes and the frame of mind of senior appointees in the state sector, since May 2015, have not surprised me in the least. I am lucky, in that I have been a student of philosophy my entire life, so I think I know a little of Homo sapiens. Power does that to you. It is a temptation that takes over one’s mind.
The interesting thing that I also find comical is that these high state officials and Ministers would tell you that they are hard pressed, but they always have prodigious time on their hand to attend sybaritic functions. They never miss cocktails, opening of commercial ventures, entertainment functions and other activities of similar nature.
I guess it is a matter of priority. I doubt very much I would last long in a very well-placed state job. Because I have functioned in journalism for a long time, as a high state functionary I would never push around my journalistic colleagues. I would not back down from offering a comment. There and then I would lose my job.
Of course I would never take a ministerial portfolio, because from Independence onwards, I have not seen a transformational government at work. Forbes Burnham came close to it, but he concentrated on transforming Guyana’s economic and cultural landscape and not its political culture, which he even helped to further debase.
I would die if I have to be a Minister in a Government that still accepts some of the most horrible, primitive things in the 21st century. That is the subject of a forthcoming column.

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I have become a Minister of Government

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