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The Wizard of Oz was written by L. Frank Baum in 1899. There are quite a few interpretations to this story. They all point to its meaning in contemporary time. However, I will use the one that suggests that this story represents the plight of western farmers in the late nineteenth century, who had been economically shattered by deflation [decreases in prices] in the decades following the Civil War- the populist allegory.
In 1896, William Jennings Bryan was the presidential nominee for both the democrats and the People’s Party- a Populist Party. At the Democratic National Convention, he gave his ‘Cross of Gold’ speech which criticised the gold standard. Essentially, he called on the government to take action to end the deflation, by incorporating silver in the monetary standard and increasing the supply of money in the system.
According to the populist allegory, Dorothy of Kansas represents the best traits of farmers from the American West: honest, warm and loving. Thus, it is no coincidence that Dorothy’s farmhouse lands precisely on the Wicked Witch of the East, who is seen as representing the corrupt “Eastern financial and industrial interests,” especially Wall Street.
The populist perspective holds that financial elites in the East were the ones refusing to incorporate silver into the monetary standard. So here we have a Kansas farm girl, killing the Wicked Witch of the East (earned financial elites), and taking her silver slippers down the yellow (gold) brick road to the capital city (Oz/Washington, D.C.) where they could request for permanent change. The name Oz has been seen as explicitly symbolic of the abbreviation for ounce (oz.).
As Dorothy’s silver-shoed journey continues down the golden, yellow brick road, she begins to acquire traveling partners.
First, she meets the Scarecrow, who has been told that he has “no brains” in his straw head. Allegorically, he is a literal “straw man,” a stereotype of a supposed dumb rural farmer. We come to see, however, that the Scarecrow is quite shrewd and capable.
Next, Dorothy meets the Tin Woodsman, symbolic of workers in the lumber industry, who have increasingly been treated less like humans than robots. The Tin Man’s rust is indicative of protracted unemployment. As Dorothy continues down the yellow brick road, she soon meets her third and final friend for the journey—a lion. The lion has been seen as symbolic of William Jennings Bryan. In the play, he presents himself as mean, but soon proves to be fearful and weak.
Perhaps, the best part of the story is the Wizard. When they finally get to the Emerald City and meet the Wizard, he appears to be whatever people wish to see him. He plays on their fears. To Dorothy he is a disembodied head; to the Lion he is a predatory beast; to the Woodman, a glowing ball of fire. But soon the Wizard is revealed to be a fraud- a little man- who admits that he has been making believe. “I am just a common man”, he says. But he is a common man, who can rule only by deceiving the people. “You are a humbug” shouts the Scarecrow.
Indeed, this is the essence of Baum’s message. Those forces that keep the farmers and workers on their knees are manipulated by frauds, who rule by deception and trickery; the president is powerful only as long as he is able to manipulate images and fool people.
In frame and picture, this story holds deep social, economic and political meaning for Guyana. The People’s Progress Party/ Civic (PPP/C), through its principal leader, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, and the general operation of its government, has shifted politics from the traditional party- based structure to a more populist political project. The focus is more on an individual leader with populist appeal, rather than the institution of the political party. In this country, everyone knows that the real power behind and on the presidential throne is the Vice President, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo; not Irfaan Ali. No one moves in that party without the approval of the Vice President.
This leader hides behind a veil of so- called power. Like the Wizard he comes across, in his press conferences and other forums, as the omniscience, omnipotent one. This veil enables the government to deceive its conscience, and conceal its true position and its inglorious modus vivendi. The Vice President believes that he has absolute power and authority to validate anything and everything in Guyana.
Whether its government and public finances, the judiciary, oil and gas, the environment, industrial, commercial enterprises, or even the press association, he behaves as if only he has all the answers and can change the lives of whole communities. It is a big con. We know this because recent events have pierced the veil of the PPP/C and revealed that it is all a big sham, loud noise, smoke and making believe.
We have seen that he, the Vice President, has been trying to manipulate forces to limit, control and dominate communities. He has been indulging in making believe. One of the things he has been trying to get ordinary people [farmers and workers] to believe is the ‘one Guyana’ policy. No right- thinking Guyanese would venture to believe such a cruel illusion, of an identity, of dignity and of morality, particularly, in circumstances where the government is practicing double standards, and discriminatory approaches. The most recent classic case is the Dharamlall saga.
Guyanese are aware that individuals, who have alleged to have committed lesser transgressions, than what the minister is accused of, have been arrested by the police, and had to spend at least seventy- two hours in police custody. Minister Dharamlall spent less than two hours in police custody for allegations of sexual exploitation. He remains on the job, albeit, on administrative leave. He continues to enjoy preferential treatment from the government and at taxpayers’ expense.
Then we have the award of contracts. Research revealed a selected few continue to receive more than 70% of all government contracts while those who get crumbs and treated as lesser mortals are made to feel the Government of Guyana, which we are all part of, is doing them a great favour.
The Vice President himself has manipulated governmental and economic forces to take absolute control of the entire Guyana [ all local authority areas] billions of dollars were spent on community works, billions more were given to people as grants and gifts. But like Dorothy and her friends, citizens found out that it was a deception and reciprocated in kind to the PPP/C at the Local Government Elections, last month. Perhaps that too is an allegory for resistance and resilience in our local communities.
Another belief that the government indulges in is that the PPP/C government truly cares for all of its children. Under the rubric: ‘We Care’, the government, through its Ministry of Education has been giving cash grants to parents to buy school necessities for their children. This year, they got in in June; schools close in August. Nevertheless, it is a song and a dance occasion with camera lights flashing and nice sounding headlines. Guyanese are not fooled.
Government by its attitude is demonstrating that it can forgo its other obligations to our children. Such responsibility includes protection of the rights of our children. Those girls who have been allegedly sexually abused and exploited by high public government officials, including Ministers, past and present. While those accused ministers get to keep their jobs with all of the benefits or resign with full remuneration packages, those girls, of school going- age, who are involved remain physically mentally and socially damaged for life. Does the government really care?
The government’s ‘we care programme’ cannot be comprised of mere distribution of tiny sums in the form of cash grants, breakfast and feeding programmes, at schools; it has to be much more than that. At the very least, it has to include the safety and protection of the nation’s children, from predatory beasts, some of whom work out of certain government and public offices. The list of names is sorrowfully long.
I end by encouraging all Guyanese not to be fooled by the antics of the Vice President or his government. And to know that we to whom the resources of this country belong, do not need the external validation or trickery of some alleged, con man of a wizard. We must look inside of ourselves and trust in our collective power to make real change in our communities and country. Guyana must rise!