In this most tragic Guyanese moment, reflect on this Bacharach song

Jul 26, 2020 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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For countless Guyanese souls, the feeling is that this country has been set back by decades given the horror show that has been taking place since a simple counting of votes was aborted in order to rig the 2020 election.
The former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, intoned it will take a generation. The question is: can we recover at all? Guyana lived through some tsunamic moments where existence was virtually threatened, the worse being the troubles of the sixties. But we were a colony then and the British had the power to intervene to stop societal collapse and it did.
Since the terrible tragedy of the sixties which culminated in the racial violence in MacKenzie where the Indian community suffered severe loss of life and Africans too in the Sun Chapman incident, we haven’t had such an uncertain moment as we are in at this very time. The dictatorship of Burnham never pitted Guyanese against Guyanese as we are currently witnessing.
A few reasons explain this. Firstly, Burnham used a healthy economy to sustain the country. Even though Indians were opposed to Burnham, when UG opened its new campus at Turkeyen in 1973, a majority of the students and lecturers were Indians. Secondly, the PPP opposition did not confront Burnham with a violent agenda except for sporadic burning of canefields.
Thirdly, the Georgetown middle class was opposed to Burnham and together with the emergence of Walter Rodney, managed to keep racial animosity at very low levels. Fourthly, there were exit routes into Trinidad, Barbados, Canada and the US for those who wanted to leave.
After a global democratic wave in the middle of the 1980, Guyana left its tragic past behind. We rejoined the global democratic order. The society saw the expansion of the economy that President Hoyte created after 1988. Then came chances of an immense take off with the marketing of huge oil discoveries. Guyana now stands at the precipice.
Since March 4, there are no signs our future is secure. What is taking place right now has no parallel in this part of the world. Life today in Guyana is more uncertain that at anytime when banana republics dominated the landscape in South and Central America.
Today in Guyana, we are seeing educated people throw away their university training to support tribal rigging of the national election. We see iconic Guyanese throw away their legacy to support racial domination that do away with the right to vote. We see long standing journalists prostitute themselves at the altar of racial emotions.
Close friends have parted ways because of racial incitement. Neighbours are suspicious of each other because these authors of incitement are preaching race hate. We are living in one of the most dangerous times Guyana has ever seen. The fundamental values of freedom and liberty are about to disappear if we allow once more a small group of people to rule Guyana forever.
It is incumbent of all Guyanese, a majority of whom have close relatives and family members who live in other countries enjoying the right to vote, to join the journey towards a freer country and stop four months of psychosis that has enveloped their country. I leave you with: “Love’s Still the Answer,” the second-best song of Burt Bacharach I love, after his smash hit, “Alfie.” Please reflect on this song. It tells us that love and life are still worth saving. At this tragic moment in Guyana, we must save these priceless values.
Twenty years ago
I would have told you that the world was round
Good and sound
Freedom bound
The future was secure
Now I’m not so sure
It seems like gravity has been reversed
And getting worse
Nothing works
And everybody hurts
Yes there’s a trail of tears
Down through the years
Of broken hearts
It’s still so hard
To let the sun shine in

Love’s the answer
No matter what, I swear love is
It’s still the answer
Just like it always was

Such a simple truth
Love never changes
Or betrays a friend
From the start
Love was part
Of some fantastic plan
Some brotherhood of man
And now it’s down to us
We either shine the light
Or darkness rules
Our children lose
We’re free to choose our fate
To find our way
Beyond this veil of tears
The sky is clear
And every star
Stands for a heart
That lets the sun shine in

Love’s the answer
No matter what, I swear love is
It’s still the answer
Just like it always was

Love’s the answer
No matter what, I swear love is
It’s still the answer
Just like it always was

(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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