Tweaked proposal for PARTITION

Jul 11, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

Since the day of my birth, I have had the sense that my country was one of endless strife and confusion, but I had never been able to put my finger on just who was fighting whom, or how peace might be brought to our society. A letter in your newspaper, dated 05 July, entitled “Is PARTITION a viable option” has made clear to me both the peoples responsible for our conflicts, and laid out what I think is the most viable solution to them.
It is plain to everyone that Guyanese society can be cleanly divided into two utterly irreconcilable sections. On one hand, we have those who (perhaps foolishly) wish fervently to pursue their idea of a united Guyanese nation. On the other, we have Sean Ori. For too long, these have been forced against their will to coexist. This has caused great trauma to both, and as it is clear that this relationship is no longer working, perhaps it is time for PARTITION.
That is not to say that I am calling for anyone to be exiled, least of all so admirable a citizen as Sean Ori. It is merely the case that while it is possible for the two sections of Guyanese society mentioned above to work together for mutual benefit, the will to do so is simply not there. We should end the decades of fighting. We should pursue PARTITION.
I suggest that a small section on the northwest border be carved out for Ori – this new nation could perhaps be called Oriland. One member of the public has suggested Orinoco, but I would not like to provoke needless border disputes over a silly pun.
In Oriland, there would be no question about “who pon top” – Sean Ori pon top. The new president would be free of all the troubles facing this country surrounding governance, taxation and law enforcement. There would, of course, need to be strict immigration controls and agreements to prevent Guyanese crossing the border and settling (as we are wont to do). We would not want Sean Ori, now free, to have to contend once more with the disagreements and disunity that inevitably arise when at least two people live in the same place for any length of time.
Matters of defence would inevitably need to be divided. I have no doubt that Sean Ori would admirably uphold Oriland’s territorial integrity, but I worry that the loss of so great a defender of liberty would permanently hamstring the ability of Guyana to protect itself.
I must confess I am not entirely optimistic about this PARTITION. Though it would doubtless have many short-term benefits, it would be only a matter of time before structural issues in the two societies reassert themselves. Oriland would be the ideal democracy – one person, one vote. Sean Ori is the person, Sean Ori has the vote. However, Oriland would initially lack a credible opposition. This could, in time, be checked by the development in the mind of Sean Ori of a series of checks and balances (what we in Guyana would call a conscience) that stands to counterbalance absolute executive power. There would be little hope of any such development in Guyana – much as it pains me to say it, Sean Ori’s departure would make very little difference to the exercise of power within or public conscience of Guyana.
I know that many readers may disagree with my proposal, though I hope that Sean Ori (whose proposal for PARTITION I have tweaked only slightly) would support it. If it should fail, I regret to say that I can bear no longer to be forced to live in a society with Sean Ori – I shall have to follow the example of other non-Ori Guyanese and migrate.

Concerned Citizen

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