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I agree and disagree with Vice President Bhar-rat Jagdeo on Excellency Ali’s presidential tornado of Tuesday, November 12, 2024. Take note of that date, fellow citizens, for it has extraordinary significance. It will identify Excellency Ali as a cardboard leader dressed up for the occasion, and propped up to look strong and formidable, as if he were some real life El Cid riding strapped on horseback. Or if he is a president of some substance, who could be trusted to deliver on his hard attitudes, sharp words, veiled threats, and ferocious postures. All those could mean much for Guyanese who would welcome some genuine action. Or, then again, if the national leader is nothing but an empty barrel running downhill at full speed, while creating a tidal wave of sound as it collides with obstacles slowing its way. They were almost all human: bowled over with a hard jam, or brushed aside from sheer bulk, or given a glancing blow that still sent tumbling. Dr. Jagdeo had a nice parental touch to add to the young president’s, ahem, fulminations. Translation: it was a feral blast. May God rest the departed. May God give living Guyanese some peace from all this excitement. It was an expression of ‘tough love’ by the current president, according to the former president.
When Dr. Jagdeo uses words like ‘tough love’ what does he mean? Especially in the context of the president’s call and gathering of some persons of special character, all known Guyanese stars. When a man, a leader, a political operator, and a swinger of the caliber of Bhar-rat Jagdeo begins to make statements involving things like tough love, I go on high alert. It is when thick and heavy suspiciousness takes over. Will somebody help me by telling me, please, when it was that Bhar-rat Jagdeo was ever about love? In any capacity, and manifesting anything that had anything to do with love. Does this human being, this brother, know what love is? I’m not trying to be Tina Turner. I am trying to get the hang of Jagdeo in this business of his about ‘tough love.’ This is a man that is like a stone quarry, a blacksmith’s steel anvil, and he is talking about love. What is the world coming to? Specifically what strange, soothing, spirit has taken over my brother Jagdeo that he is now at home waxing smartly about love?
Politically speaking, and in the manner of PPP speak, he is onto something, though. There was presidential love for his cast of characters ordered to turn up in their pajamas and nightgowns before him. Yeah, it was a rather bedraggled and disoriented gang that appeared in his early morning kangaroo chamber. Everybody should have been hopping from the heat, except that they were so sleep frozen that only President Ali was verbally hopping and skipping about. The man is a showman, I’ll say it again. He knows how to milk the moment and the mike for maximum entertainment effect. How to set up the whole shebang also. Lots of state money, state hours, state workers, and other state hours would have been necessary to get that sham Star Chamber going. I agree with Mr. Jagdeo with the ‘love’ part of his statement, since every man jack walked out of the president’s charade and masquerade in one piece. Some of the supposedly whipped and slapped around couldn’t conceal their slightest of sly smiles, because they were in on the president’s joke. Their prearranged roles were to pretend to be alarmed, fake some concerns, and show some contrition, for certain events must take place so that there’s a record. The president called, the president castigated, and the president and all his men get to live happily ever after. Mission accomplished. The practice of politics has its delightful intervals.
Is there anything ‘tough’ in any of that, Dr. Jagdeo? I give myself permission to speak to the former president without pulling any punches. Tough love is what leaves strong men crying like children. Tough love is when others have to scrape the victims from the floor with a spade, Mr. Jagdeo. Who was the senior public servant that was fired on the spot? Which blacklisted or ineligible contractor was identified, sent packing, banned from receiving future public works projects? Which minister was put out to pasture to end their misery, their conspicuous lack of competence, credibility and, perhaps, incorruptibility? Guyanese have a saying: famlee cut-lish duz ben but he nah bruk. For Americans, cut-lish is the local counterpart of machete. What Excellency Ali held was a family affair, a PPP one, with some of its blood notables present. As they say, wha is a li’l cussin’ up an blowin’up between faam-lee? It was love alright, but with anything that was tough about it sucked out and thrown overboard. More and more Guyanese have come to appreciate that Excellency Ali is a noisemaker and a merrymaker. Calling a meeting at that ungodly hour was his idea of leadership fun and frolic. Ungodly, it was, indeed. Simply check the ID cards of the galaxy of heroes and heroines who were there. Next time, Mr. Jagdeo, try something more believable. What President Ali engaged in was some ruff jokes. Or some pre-Thanksgiving turkey talk. He is learning from Master Communicator Alistair Routledge well. A little too well for my liking.
