Guyana: Mysterious things not found elsewhere

May 16, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

---

Kaieteur News – Each day, as I live another moment in this country, I wonder about its nature. What kind of people, mentality, psyche, soul, substance, etc. this country has? Each day, month, year, I witness things, yes all sorts of things, and as an experienced social activist and academic, I would ask questions simply because I have been around long and these things confuse me.
I am being honest when I say these things appear mysterious. I wanted to use the word, “irrational” but I am not sure that is appropriate because there is rationality in the action of these things. Maybe the word “illogical” is relevant. But I don’t know. I think there is logic in these actions. So I think the safest description would be “mysterious.”
Let’s start with the normal first. The action of Glenn Lall, Sherod Duncan, Mikhail Rodrigues (Guyanese Critic), Naim Chan, Christopher Ram, in my eyes appear as logical people. These five names have shows in which they invite Guyanese to answers questions. What is logical about that?
All five of the names above, live in Guyana, know what is going on in Guyana, and will interview the minister or the public sector CEO, or the important businessman to ask him what happened in a certain incident in the barber shop or the supermarket. In other words, these interviewers know what is going on in their country because they live here.
We move from the normal to the mysterious. There is a daily Zoom interview programme named Globe-Span hosted by Dr. Asquith Rose, Paul Tennassee and Charles Sugrim. I know Mr. Tennassee. He was a successful party leader in the late 1980s. His group the Democratic Labour Movement contested the 1992 election, was not successful and he migrated the same year. That is 30 years ago.
I know Dr. Rose but I don’t know when he migrated. I was told it was in the 1980s and he is a US citizen. I don’t know who Charles Sugrim is. I asked Rajendra Bisssesar for the purpose of this article who is this gentleman but he didn’t give me a plausible description. I was told he left Guyana a long time ago. My question is why would a daily Zoom panel discussion be hosted by foreign based Guyanese? Do they know what is going on in Guyana like Lall, Duncan, Ram, Guyanese Critic and Chan?
Then there is a daily social media discussion programme hosted separately by David Hinds, Rickforde Burke and Mark Benschop. All three live in the US. The same above question applies. Do they know what is going on here? The Chronicle is afflicted with the same strangeness.
It has two Sunday columnists who live outside of Guyana. Why would a newspaper want its columnist to be foreign-based? The Chronicle has a third Sunday columnist, Barrington Brathwaite. He lives in Guyana and mixes with the ordinary folks and he writes about things he sees in Guyana.
I can tell you with oceanic definiteness that all over the world, people like to read what the newspaper columnists have to say about this or that incident that they saw in this or that building. Two of the biggest names in television talk-show business are right-winger, Tucker Carlson and left-winger, Rachael Maddow. Why would any television station have a host that lives in another country?
Here is more mystery. There is an organisation named Moray House on Quamina Street that holds monthly symposia. I read last week that it sponsored a panel on the oil contract. Unfortunately, no government representative was on the programme. I don’t know if they were invited and declined.
What I am confused about, is that since it has been in operation over 10 years now, Moray House has not sponsored any programme on the GECOM chairman impasse in which President Granger broke with the constitutional Carter/Process formula; events surrounding the controversy of the no confidence vote; and the five months of election rigging.
I am strongly recommending a symposium by Moray House on the question as to what was the legal actuality in the election results. I would definitely think that Anil Nandlall and Timothy Jonas should be part of the head table. Will Moray House do it? You should not be hopeful because Guyana is such a disappointing land. Finally, no article on the strangeness that Guyana is drowning in can be complete without mention of the University of Guyana. The university since thousands of years ago, yes thousands, was known and is known for its academics explaining to the peoples of the world about the meanings of social phenomena. Does UG have academics? If not, what it has then?
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

 

---

---