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Sheik Hassan, Charran, the Stabroek News as 2019 closes

Dec 30, 2019 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

It is either I am on the verge of Alzheimer’s or with age, my mind is reaching opaqueness.  The gentleman had his shopping basket, I had mine and our paths crossed in one of the aisles in the supermarket on Saturday last.
He asked, “How are you doing man?” with a loud joviality in his tone?”
I looked at him with an infinitesimal smile but couldn’t reach out to him because I did not recognise him. So I said with a restrained voice, “I’m alright.”
But he caught the surprise in my tone and replied, “Wait you don’t know me?” Then my humour flowed. “Maan, I am getting old. You don’t see my grey hair? May be you have aged too.”
Then he announced his identity and I exclaimed with huge embarrassment, “Sheik, oh God maan. How I can forget you?” It was businessman, Sheik Hassan, who has a publishing company in Eccles.
Not only do I know Sheik well. My wife knows him too. Obviously, politics started to flow like fountain water.
Based on what he reads from my columns, he intoned, “Freddie this government is worse than the PPP… I was always a PPP; I never left the PPP but I told Donald (Ramotar) I couldn’t vote for the PPP (in 2015) … This time I am bolting to vote for the PPP.”
When I read on the front page of yesterday’s edition of the Stabroek News, the newspaper’s announcement that dwindling state advertisements have caused them to raise the price of the newspaper, I thought of my conversation with Sheik and how deeply hurt are so many that voted for the APNU+AFC in 2015.
I called Sheik as I was typing this piece for permission to mention the supermarket conversation. He intoned, “Go ahead, Freddie. I got much more to tell you so you can print… Come down and let’s talk.”
I felt sad at both the words of Sheik and the announcement of Stabroek News for two reasons. The APNU+AFC did fail Guyana in horrible ways. Secondly, that is no reason to bring back the PPP.
Sheik has made up his mind – he is voting for the PPP. When many read the Stabroek News front page announcement, I have no doubt if they voted for the APNU+AFC in 2015, they switch this time but switch not to a newer party but back to the PPP.
I keep hearing this haunting melody all the time. It is stalking me.
People I love. People I admire. People I hold as dear friends have told me they are voting for the PPP. I sense from talking to them, the emotional bitterness runs too deep for me to persuade them.
The only resort I have is two-fold – to respect their choice and to assert my choice that the PPP is not the answer to the future of Guyana.
Then there is the decision by another close friend, Charrandass Persaud. He is backing Irfaan Ali. Again, like Sheik, the emotions are running wildly. I expected Charran to have batted for a third force. But I will not try to persuade him. He has made his selection.
If I talk to him, I will explain that to stop the APNU+AFC and PPP from hogging power, it is best to have a balancer. I will express my thoughts to Charran.
I will tell him I do not agree with his direction but I respect his right. Charran has been through a lot in 2019. And though 2019 belongs to him, I cannot accept a PPP majority again.
To endorse the return of the PPP to rule this country should not be on the minds of those who want to see and have a democratic future. Guyana is really in deep trouble. It is not easy to appease angry voters.
In my heart, I know the APNU+AFC has governed extremely badly. They have shown no leadership qualities, no transformational values. But the PPP is not the answer.  There is nothing in the reign of Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar that was philosophically efficacious, morally inspiring, spiritually uplifting.
I will repeat, and continue to repeat in these columns – it is best to have a third force to curtail the power of the two parties that dominated office, authority and power since 1957.
As I close this article here, passing right outside my home is an APNU+AFC truck announcing the January 3, 2020 rally of the Coalition. And the announcer is alternating in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
They left out French. There are many Haitians living here. I guess many immigrants will vote. Who will they vote for?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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