Dear Editor,
“The man” was a character in Ayi Kwei Armah’s 1968 novel “The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born.” The book was set in the waning days of Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana, and “the man” represented a figure of incorruptibility, resilience, steadfastness, and most of all, hope for Africa’s first postcolonial nation, as well as for the Third World. The character was at once mythical and allegorical, but in the Guyana of today, some men nourish the dangerous fantasy that they are the “Beautiful Ones.” Many of them think that they can let the world know they are “the man” by constantly attacking Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. (I will deal with the attacks against President Ali soon).
The writings of GHK Lall come to mind. Mr. Lall is a high-visibility anti-Jagdeo activist with considerable privileges in Kaieteur News and Stabroek News. While both outlets have first-rate journalists, their editorial stances are permissive of what might be termed the industrialization of attacks against Dr. Jagdeo. I use the term industrialization here to depict two interrelated processes namely, manufacturing and mass production.
Manufacturing of distortions, half-truths, and outright lies is part of the modus operandi; the mass production and distribution of these are also an integral part of the anti-Jagdeo industry.
Let’s get back to GHK Lall who has given every indication that his attacks are the result of Divine Calling. Mr. Lall is jubilant that Bharrat Jagdeo has mentioned his name a few times at the recent PPP Thursday press conferences. I was present on both occasions when the General Secretary mentioned Lall’s name. My own impression is that GHK’s writing was brought up mostly in the form of banter, during interregnums of light talk, or at the other end, treated with surgical dismissiveness. I feel confident that Jagdeo will bust into laughter when someone brings to his attention that GHK believes his “…name is a hot-button issue of daily discussions inside Freedom House.”
V.S. Naipaul was the most perceptive observer of the tendency of Caribbean men to fantasize about power and mistake their fantasy for reality. He did not only have in mind the rich and the powerful but those also in the peripheral lens of power. Think of the comical Elder God and Little God in “A House for Mr. Biswas.” Now, here is GHK Lall – “I have developed a kind of appreciation for the efforts that I share with Guyanese and others. Unlike Dr. Jagdeo and his fellows, I am not doing this for likes and the lot; but what is being essayed now has progressed beyond public service and into the rarified territory of God’s work.” Oh, My God!
GHK does seem to have room for humor. Here he is – “I may get swell-headed and begin to think of myself as important, and God’s gift to Guyana, and start thinking of throwing my hat in the ring.” God’s Work! A Calling! Something divinely Willed by Him! And if I may be allowed my own moment of levity – how could such a thing be? From Gold Board to God’s candidate?
While GHK Lall may be the captain of a divinely ordained anti-Jagdeo industry, only days ago, Member of Parliament, the Hon. Ganesh Mahipaul also couched his anti-Jagdeo diatribe in shades of divinity. Here he is – “I would like to inform Jagdeo that the English translation of the name ‘Ganesh’ is ‘lord of wisdom,’ and ‘Mahipaul’ means ‘King of Kings.” Mahipauls’ attack on Jagdeo (read the article) was brought on by the General Secretary’s perfectly appropriate criticisms of Mahipaul’s misrepresentations of the LGE results. Astoundingly, Mahipaul in one fell swoop has become a Hindu-Rasta – Lord Ganesh + Haile Selassie (aka King of Kings)!
If GHK Lall and Mahipaul are establishment contributors to the anti-Jagdeo attack industry, then others like Leyland Roopnarine fall in that category of foreign irritants, who without any firsthand knowledge of Guyana, plug away night and day against the Vice-President.
Roopnarine is one of those foreign whose sole purpose is to split the PPP/C leadership by attempting to pit President Ali and Vice President Jagdeo against each other. I have news for Leyland Roopnarine – you are dealing with two astute, mature, experienced, and sturdy, very sturdy statesmen. And even more to the point, the people of Mahdia have voices of their own and are in touch daily with all the members of the Cabinet, as well as with the President. The people of Mahdia do not need a foreign, 3000 miles away, to speak on their behalf.
Readers should know that many of the anti-Jagdeo movement crave a response from the Vice President. They look forward to a strong reply, or any reply from Jagdeo. For most of them, a reply from Bharrat Jagdeo, even a mere mention of their name, is the greatest honor of their life. Some of them get emotional about it and represent the mention of their name by the VP as a secret message from God himself to become “The Man” in Armah’s, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born.”
Sincerely
Dr Randolph Persaud
