That 10,000 MMA lease

Jan 03, 2020 Editorial

The chairman said he did remove himself from the conversations relative to that MMA lease of some 10,000 acres. If nothing else, the man must be given the benefit of the positive.
Yet there is so much that troubles; so much that could have been avoided, if only our public servants take the time, and have the interest, to stay away from certain kinds of transactions.
Without in any way casting any aspersions, good sense, commonsense, and plain sense would necessitate that highly ranked professionals called upon to serve the state to not be a party to anything that even has the appearance of taint.
For even when there is none, the ordinary man, the reasonable man, may be prompted to assert that something is not right about these developments.
It is not the thing itself, but the appearance of the thing, the smell of it, and the sounds of it. This paper, not too long ago, did question this business involving a minister submitting that there was recusal from matters where there appeared to be a conflict of interest.
To be brutally candid, it is far from enough. For in the time-honored way of savvy and sophisticated Guyana, men and women have learned to use that baton to beat a drum in their defense. It falls short, for it is an empty drum that fails to gather many believing citizens dancing to that rhythm.
Those who know better should do better, are held to a higher standard of comportment and professional distance. This may be unfair, even unacceptable, but it should be the way.
It must be the way when anything and everything in Guyanese life rises to issues of credibility, to what makes sense, and what is questioned. For there is this first truth to be faced frontally: we all know one another (for the most part), are familiar with our stories (whether impeccable or sordid), since word gets around and takes on more lives than the proverbial cat.
To bring another perspective to stories of these types, nothing here functions in a vacuum. People know who’s who and what is what, or to state another way: what is going down or must come down. It is as open and shut as that.
No matter the recusal precautions that may be taken, it leaves a lot to the realm of conjecture, some of which may be unjustified. For things have a habit-indeed, a culture-of coming and going in circles, as in the realities of Third World societies, where in the narrow circle, things boil down to you scratch my back today, and I scratch yours tomorrow.
All of this leaves a lingering unpleasant taste, that citizens find it hard to summon the thinking, the offering of a pass, to say that this one is on us, and count me among the persuaded.
Guyanese have been burnt, and badly, for many a long decade, that they are fearful, they are cynical, they are don’t believe anything and anyone anymore.
This might be the height of unfairness, where credible people are found guilty until proven innocent, but it is an indication of how our society has degraded and the terrible depths to which we fallen, where even the innocent have to prove that they are not guilty of anything underhanded.
It is why this publication goes on record, again, to encourage and exhort those in the public domain to demonstrate better judgment and to a consistent degree, too. Because the one time, that something is slightly amiss, is that one time, when a mountain of bricks would descend upon them and leave them with having to deal with possibly irreparable harm to character and standing.
In sum, it is not worth neither the risks nor the reward. And if one’s reputation is held in such an honorable manner, then that’s all that matters.

Latest News

That 10,000 MMA lease

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Welcome and Sattaur hat-tricks power West Ruimvelt’s emphatic win

Mominul, Jaker help Bangladesh avoid follow on

Rutherford’s stunning century in vain as...

Bentick’s hat-trick lifts YMCA to $1M and...

Final batch of tickets for opening match released

NSC to host National Awards Ceremony on Thursday

Features/Columnists

The business class also funds undemocratic parties

Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all

Too many sharks too close for comfort

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

That 10,000 MMA lease

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]