Guyanese first, thank you Barry and Timmy

Oct 09, 2024 The GHK Lall Column

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…Hard Truths 

By GHK Lall 

Kaieteur News – There is always the hope that Guyanese would help Guyana turn the corner.  The challenge is that some corners are longer than others, and slippery, and steep as well.  Take this one involving the Chinese, and both brothers Barry Jay and Timmy Tucker are on the same page.  The playing field must be level.  The standards must be applied uniformly.  Guyanese must not be made to suffer.  If the latter sounds like LFS Burnham in his prime, it is.

It is good to read that two former presidents are of the same mind where the interests of Guyanese are concerned.  The belated wish is that that other former president posted to Washington, DC could have been of a similar benevolent disposition.

The thought surfaces rather temptingly: was Uncle Sammy sent to Washington to protect Guyana’s interests, or was he dispatched to protect Guyanese from his tender, loving care? Three former presidents and all are for what is good for Guyanese.  It is a little too much to absorb within a matter of a few short days but hope kindles anew.  Way to go Barry, Timmy and, of course, Sammy.

The vendors-small and relatively powerless, somewhat moneyless-in Agricola are crying.  The Chinese Invasion has spilled into their neighbourhood.  Theirs is not the only one.  Suddenly, ordinary Guyanese have an idea what it is to be Taiwanese.  The overpowering might of the Chinese is not something to take lightly.  For it crushes all who stand in its path.  Perhaps that is why President Ali was wise enough to take the safe way out and hail the Chinese for their massive contributions to Guyana’s development.  There would be limited agreement on that score but only when the contributions of the capitalist-oriented Chinese from Hong Kong are considered. The Communist Chinese are about dominance and total control, which the hapless small folks in Agricola got their first taste. In Latin, agricola means farmer, but how can they farm when the Chinese conglomerates, usually Red Chinese government financed and managed, encroach on their space and in their face?

Dr. Barry J had his dander up and was literally rolling thunder: the rules must be uniformly implemented.  None of this shabby business about different strokes for local folks.When the world needed a savior, God gave it Jesus.  When Guyanese need a rescuer, somebody gave them Jagdeo.  But Barry Jagdeo is not Jagdeo for nothing.  He walked with his posse: one man is all that he needed.  Enter former local commerce president, Mr. Timmy Tucker. It is inspiring that he has abandoned the low ground of lowlife (Guyanese fighting against that national revulsion, the 2016 Exxon contract) to the high ground of saying a strong word for the high priority that should be given to Guyanese business endeavours.  That is more than local content; it is local leadership of a trailblazing kind.  For a long while, it was rather lonely when the marauding, expanding, overwhelming Chinese (and Americans and others) went on their commercial rampages across the length and breadth of Guyana.  Now somewhat strangely, there is all this company, where the rich and famous are up in arms over the inroads that the Chinese are making and running Guyanese out of business.  Test it out, people: travel a few miles and there is a supermarket, or a hardware powerhouse (with breathtaking Home Depot bulkiness), or another exotic restaurant dotting the landscape.  Often, they are a small handful within the confines of a city block, and it is the same story in the far villages too.

To give credit where it is due, Dr. Barry J waxed profusely about how care must be taken so that jingoistic does not colour local thinking.  There is much that must be said in support of such a posture.  No business should be discriminated against based on nationality. Or the thickness of their bankroll. Or, if the allowance is kindly permitted, squeezed out because of political leanings, history.  In Guyana, that means more than the colour of the political or tribal flag followed.  There is another kind of colour.  With all that said, there are, however, some questions that refuse to stay still.  How do these megastores get approved in areas once believed to be off-limits for such structures?  The point is not about renting from pro-Chinese landlords, but about erecting mini skyscrapers within a furlong.  How does that happen when ordinary Guyanese homeowners experience severe difficulty getting any movement to put up a dog pen on their premises, or a small extension to their building?  Hardware stores, and all-purpose haberdasheries have their utilities.  But liquor?  What could be next: roti and curry, black pudding, taxis, barbershops, butcheries, and all at gargantuan square footage?

Like the two big men (both former presidents) said, this matter must be dealt with right, i.e., the proper form.  Welcome is the word.  These are the conditions, limits.  Now abide with them.  Thanks, Excellencies.

(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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• Agricola, Guyana, Latin, LFS Burnham, Neighbourhood, President, Washington

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