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Dear Editor
Firstly, heartfelt greetings to ALL my Guyanese people of all races, religions and creeds from Kingston, Jamaica! It is a sigh of relief to know that the political stalemate has finally come to an end. No matter which side of the political aisle one falls, this is a good thing for Guyana. Guyana can now move forward and get to the business of fixing all the economic and social issues plaguing the country. There is much work to do by the incoming administration as well as the opposition!
Let me preface the rest of what I am about to write by saying that I am proudly a Guyanese of mixed ethnicity/ancestry which includes black, white, brown, East Indian, Amerindian, Jamaican, Costa Rican and Brazilian. I need to set this tone for the reader so that the reader does not envision me as any particular race talking about a political party for racial reasons. Unfortunately, this is how Guyana works for the most part so I am just putting it out there.
I was born in Guyana originating from generations of community and civil servants including and branching from my paternal grandfather and grandmother, a legacy that still proudly continues to this day and even in Jamaica where my sister (also born in Guyana) is a civil servant in the area of culture and heritage. I mention this pedigree as a backdrop to show that passionate and dedicated service to Guyana (and the wider Caribbean) is a strongly held ethos of my family.
I am happy that I (as well as my sister) grew up in Jamaica, as it has allowed us to never look at the Guyanese situation or any situation through the eyes of race! I understand that this is a real and serious problem that plagues the land of many rivers, but I refuse to be “racial” or racist when thinking of what needs to be done, improved and fixed in Guyana. Solidarity in this regard is a far way off especially after this recent political debacle that has energized racial lines, but Guyana has to step out of the caves in this specific context and see the light and enjoy the sunshine!
Now to the meat and potatoes of my article. Where does Guyana go from here? There is no holy water fix for Guyana that can wash everything away and make it right! There is also no social genie of change to grant three wishes! However, if I could bring to life one situation that I feel could make a very impactful change to the landscape NOW it would be pluralism. To encourage the forming and development of several political parties and social action groups.
The PNC, PPP and AFC as the (3) major forces in Guyana are not enough! None of these parties, especially the PNC and PPP, should be left unchecked and to have large parliamentary majorities. The AFC has failed Guyana miserably as being a solid alternative as well as a check and balance to the PNC and the PPP and needs a dramatic shift in operations, leadership and way of thinking or they are in great danger of becoming just a footnote in Guyana’s political history! Wake up! I am not anti-PPP nor am I pro PNC/APNU or AFC. But what I certainly am, regardless of the party, is anti-nonsense, anti-racism and anti-discrimination!
Guyana needs a political system where parliament is balanced with different, good and competing views and ideologies so that the best decisions can be made for the widest cross-section of Guyanese people. Young minds and talent also need access and the ability to truly be part and parcel of the decision-making process that influences the country. We need a radical shift to achieve these goals in the interest of our country. The PPP has won. These are the facts. Bharrat Jagdeo has shown Putin-like qualities and has put in place a president through strategy, being tactically savvy and by being way smarter than his opponents. The PNC/APNU + AFC Coalition would be like the best high school basketball team in Guyana vs the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan. Jordan in this case, of course, being Bharrat Jagdeo. It amazes me how ill-prepared and/or how much the Coalition underestimated such an opponent. These people aren’t for real!
Brigadier David Granger is a good man and has a good heart. A smart and well-read man as well. However, the brigadier was NOT the man to lead the people for any protracted period. He was the man to get the people to a change but not to continue to lead the rest of the way. I had a passionate conversation with my mother about this once and she summed up my words and sentiments in the best way possible! She said David Granger was Moses and now the people need Joshua! I held these beliefs before 2015 and did not want to publish these views until now to avoid seeming anti-Granger.
The country needed strong winds of change after being under PPP rule for 23 years (just like when the PPP broke 28 years of PNC rule). David Granger was the only man of the moment to bring about that change; this was a view that my father also strongly held. People of all ethnicities and even supporters of the then ruling PPP were disenchanted. Everybody wanted a change and this is how the Granger led Coalition was able to win in 2015. The mistake was not finding and/or appointing Joshua to lead the country the rest of the way!
Brigadier Granger should have come to the understanding that he did his job and did it well! He brought about needed change for the people of Guyana! He should have groomed and/or found his replacement (Joshua) and maybe after about a year or two of stabilising things, step down, usher in Joshua and still stay active in terms of advice. He should have done some writing, travel and organized speaking engagements to share the knowledge gained from his journey.
So here we are now. More than ever the Coalition or any coalition of forces to come needs strong leadership; needs fresh leadership! I want to thank Brigadier Granger for his years of service as an upright civil servant and hope that he sees it is time to take some much-needed rest and focus on his well-being. It is time for Brigadier Granger to carefully select and bequeath the mantle of leadership to someone else. Things will not happen the same way again when the brigadier (and team) won in 2015. New people and new energies are needed!
I am not going to say there is only one Joshua, but I certainly know who Joshua could be! I put forward to the people of Guyana (and not on racial or partisan lines) that Joshua could be Counsel Nigel Hughes. Nigel Hughes from what I have learnt and seen with my own eyes is respected and admired by Guyanese off all ethnicities and walks of life, is brilliant and well-spoken, carries himself well and has all the ingredients of an excellent statesman. He, like Barack Obama, has the greatest intellectual and political asset any man could have – his wife! A wife that has the power and prowess to pick him up, put him back on track when off and also has the ingredients to lead the people herself. Catherine Hughes would also be the most elegant first lady since Viola Burnham. She would also be the most outspoken was that chance ever to come. Maybe there is a better husband and wife political team somewhere out there in Guyana but I know not of them.
So where is Joshua? Mr. Hughes, it is time for you to stop burying yourself in your legal practice and the courts of Guyana! Mr. Hughes, it is time for you to step up and be the leader of a political party and truly lead people in Guyana. I am suggesting you take over the AFC or PNC, or much more preferably, start your own blended political party! The incoming PPP administration has a lot of work to do, and it needs a strong and intelligent opposition to hold it accountable!
No right-minded supporter of any party in Guyana would want their party in power without a strong opposition to challenge it, point out the downfalls and make government and governance better! Mr. Hughes, the journey may well carry you to become president one day, but whether that happens or not, it is my view that the country and all its people need you at this very moment! Mr. Hughes, for far too long you have been leading from the back! Please step way to the front! Guyana needs you!
In closing, I want the reader to understand that the PPP is here to stay for at least another (5) years and that we need strong opposition not to derail the PPP while in office, but rather, to capably assist in the business of the people! To hold everyone accountable! To even hold the opposition itself accountable in its inextricable charge of being the people of Guyana’s accountability system!
Regards
Nicholas McDavid
