KRAUSS’ PEN IS MIGHTER THAN THE SWORD

Jul 29, 2018 Editorial

Many letter writers and columnists have responded to Clifford Krauss’s provocative article in the New York Times titled: “The $20 Billion Question for Guyana.”
In the article, Krauss portrayed Guyana as a vast, watery wilderness with only three paved highways, a few dirt roads between villages that sit on stilts along rivers snaking through the rainforest, and children in remote areas going to school in dugout canoes, and play naked in the muggy heat.
No one in Guyana knew of Krauss or heard about him before he wrote the article, but since then, he has become known to many Guyanese.
While Krauss’s depiction of Guyana as an impoverished country may be true, it was not appreciated. If nothing else, he has incurred the wrath of the people. His description of Guyana’s culture, economy and the people’s way of life is far from the truth. For Krauss or anyone else to criticize a country they knew very little or nothing about it is poor judgement.
Without delving into the contents of his article, it is important for the people to know that Krauss is not alone. The New York Times has an editor and an editorial staff whose responsibilty it is to peruse the writings of its reporters and make the necessary corrections before they are published. So for the editor and his staff to approve and publish such an incendiary article proved that they have subscribed to Krauss’s prejudicial views.
It is known that on a population basis, the United States has the highest rate of reported HIV cases with more than 1.1 persons infected with the virus and one in six persons do not know they have the virus. So for the New York Times to publish such an erroneous article by Krauss that “A vast majority of college-educated [Guyanese] youths emigrate to the United States or Canada, while those who stay behind experience high rates of H.I.V. infection, crime and suicide” is absurd, to say the least. Guyana is no longer the suicide capital of the world, its crime rate is less than that in the U.S and it has a low HIV rate.
That said, Krauss may be right in describing our electricity system as unreliable due to constant blackouts and that the discovery of oil could make Guyana vulnerable because of its weak and corrupt institutions.
However, his wholesale condemnation of the country does not blend with reality. But his distorted views of Guyana are not new. This is how most upper and middle-class whites from the rich and developed countries view people from the underdeveloped countries.
Mr. Krauss’ description of Guyana prodded the Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordan, to reject his erroneous, distorted and disgraceful article that Guyana is a backward and wayward country that is destined to fail.
The Minister implored Krauss to re-examine his views on Guyana, its proud and resourceful people and their resilience in overcoming adversity.
The New York Times is perhaps one of the most read newspapers in the United States and possibly in the world, but it is unfortunate that its reporter, Clifford Krauss seemed unaware of the unyielding strength, power and resolve of the Guyanese people. Guyanese are very patriotic and nationalistic.
Therefore, no matter how poor, backward and divided the people are, it is clear that if Guyana is attacked by a foreigner like Clifford Krauss, its citizens would come together as one people and condemn him. This is a common practice in most countries.

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