The poem ‘Choice of Freedom’ came to mind

Sep 03, 2017 Features / Columnists, My Column

A long time ago a dearly departed friend of mine, Ivan Forrester wrote a poem named ‘Choice of Freedom’. It read—‘Free to rule or free to misrule; free to be master or master’s tool. Free to do right or free to blunder; free to unite or part asunder.’
Ivan Forester once worked at the hydrometeorology station in the Mazaruni. There he painted many glorious works, some of which adorn many walls. He also wrote many poems. He drank a tidy bit and when I was an Information Officer at Bartica he would visit my home. There he would regale me with some of his poems. He also left me a piece of art on tentest that, sadly, is no longer around.
His poem, Choice of Freedom, came to mind when I read about the shooting death of prison escapee, Uree Varswyck. He had been confined to prison awaiting trial for multiple murders, but before that he was a trained policeman. He was a member of the Tactical Services Unit and skilled in firearm use.
He made his choice to be a criminal, perhaps to earn more money. But then again, he felt more inclined to kill people. From the time he went down that road he forsook his freedom. That was no longer a choice.
While in prison he made another choice—to escape. He reportedly shot and killed a warder during that escape bid. From the relative discomfort of the prison, he then chose a life of uncertainty and of hardship. While on the run, I am certain that he never enjoyed a peaceful night’s rest. That remained the case until he was cornered and killed.
There were reports of him sleeping in an unfinished septic tank outfitted with mattress and other creature comforts. Late Thursday, he surrendered his choice to live. The same could be said for his fellow prison escapee, Royden Williams, called Smallie.
Every Guyanese has a choice. As a whole, the country has the choice to be well-off or to remain a poor and struggling. A few years ago, a major oil explorer discovered oil offshore and caused smiles to appear on our faces. Then sober minds decided that they would not merely look at a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, they decided to investigate whether they were actually being presented with a Trojan horse.
A lot has been said about the oil explorer, ExxonMobil. There have been examinations of its past performances, which have revealed some unsavoury things. These revelations were intended to let Guyana become aware of the pitfalls but sadly, many see the exposes as unwanted criticisms.
There is an old saying, “Better to be safe than sorry.” Indeed, had it not been for ExxonMobil, Guyana would not have been aware of its oil deposits. Many had drilled and came up empty, but ExxonMobil with its superior technology, went to depths unheard of. Now some Guyanese are of the view that before being shafted, it is better to allow the oil to remain where it is.
From my vantage point in life, this is an unfortunate position. Ivan Forrester’s ‘free to do right or free to blunder’ comes readily to mind. (to be continued)

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