Honour your parents

Cheddi neglected
Alvin Thompson is one of our most distinguished historians in the region. As Professor Emeritus of History at UWI (Cave Hill) Dr Thompson has inspired more than two generations of Caribbean peoples. One of the more positive features of this year’s observance of our attainment of Republican status was the Culture Ministry’s invitation to several international academics to offer perspectives on topics relevant to the event.
Professor Thompson’s topic was “The Berbice Slave Uprising of 1763: Historical and present-day significance”. The ministry was obviously responding to trenchant criticisms over the years that Republic Day had become torn from its roots. Those roots, of course, had to do with why February 23 – was chosen as the day for the fateful transition: the struggle of Cuffy for our freedom. We must remember, said Dr Thompson, the role of our ancestors in getting us where we are today.
As the old people say, “We didn’t drop from tree.” At that time Berbice was a colony and Cuffy’s rebellion shook up the status quo for years. But the great historian didn’t stop as most do with a regurgitation of Cuffy’s exploits in the distant past. In the second part of his remit – ‘the present day’ – he reminded us that others of more recent vintage had followed Cuffy’s footsteps. And that we should also honour them.
Just as we did with Cuffy with the magnificent work of Philip Moore at the Square of the Revolution, he suggested that we build statues of the latter-day heroes. And he called names: Burnham, Critchlow, Ramphal and Cheddi Jagan. The first two already have statues – and Thompson singled out Jagan for special mention and acknowledgement. And it was not just because, like Cuffy, Jagan was also a Berbician.
Nowadays it has become fashionable in some quarters to rip apart Jagan. Professor Thompson’s comments were a welcome corrective. Jagan made his share of mistakes, but it’s patently unfair, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, to blame him for every problem in the Republic – and then some! At the most mundane level, Jagan, as a qualified U.S. trained dentist in the 1940’s could have enjoyed the ‘good life’ of a middle class professional – as so many of his peers did. He didn’t. Against a background of unremitting hostility to his call for ‘root and branch’ change in social relations, he irredeemably altered the trajectory of Guyana’s history. Positively. Build the man a statue!
Terrorised diaspora
The Guyana Diaspora Project was launched in Washington last Saturday. It’s being funded by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration and is meant to give us a handle on Guyanese who’re ‘outside’. We’re particularly interested in their ‘skills and resources’. Kind of helping us hone in on those who might want to invest ‘back home’. Not a bad idea actually. So many countries have done it successfully. But we’ll tell you why we think it’s going to be an uphill task for us. Most diaspora populations – for instance Trinidadians and Jamaicans – are very upbeat about their native countries. Not Guyanese – even though most of them haven’t been home for years. Why? The number one reason is the negative news they get about Guyana from the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News. Every week since they entered the main Guyanese diaspora markets they’ve been sensationalising the crime and murder situation in Guyana. And it’s not reported as statistics – but in blaring, lurid front page photos that make even hardened thugs, cringe. TT and Jamaica have much higher crime rates but their overseas newspapers still stress their positives. Clean up Kaieteur and Stabroek News and well-heeled Guyanese will be flocking our shores.
Sour grapes?
Ex-Speaker Ralph Ramkarran, who has tried his darndest to become the presidential candidate for the PPP since 2001 – and so become the president, now figures the presidency is too powerful.