Dear Editor,
Kindly permit me the opportunity to offer an opinion on the 28 February 2025 press conference in the White House: It was a tragicomedy starring Donald Trump of the Apprentice Show and Volodymyr Zelinsky of The Servant of the People Show. While my sympathies are with Zelenskyy and Ukraine, one must recognize that he did his country a disservice. Let me elaborate:
First, Zelensky has a working knowledge of English and speaks with a thick jarring accent. His message gets lost in his delivery. In such a high stakes negotiation and press event, he should have walked with a gorgeous female translator who looked like Trump’s wife and spoke flawless English. This would appeal to Trump’s prurient tendencies. In Guyanese lingo: you have to set a twa-twa to catch a twa-twa.
Second, using a translator [even though Zelensky can speak English] would have given him a tactical advantage: while the interpreter is translating, Zelensky would have time to better assess the situation and formulate an appropriate response in his language. He went to Washington D.C. to get a deal done. Instead, he was ensnared in a shouting match with Trump and Vance.
Third, Trump is an egotist. Zelensky went to the White House with a mission: to get a deal done. He did not understand that flattery could have gotten him everywhere. Look at Sir Keir Starmer: he came with an invitation from King Charles. Clearly, appealing to Trump’s desire for pedigree: Trump’s thinking, here is the King pandering to me. Zelensky should have arrived at the White House bearing a gift. I would have suggested a medal of the highest order that Ukraine can come up with. I would even encrust it with diamonds. In the words of the great African scholar-Ali Mazrui, “It is not bribery but an act of prior appreciation.”
Fourth, this Public Relations debacle has great repercussions for Ukraine. Zelensky was out of his depth. This was a real time demonstration of the Peter Principle- employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent. Zelenskyy has reached his max and ought to resign.
Zelensky reminds me of our 1961 PR disaster in the White House. Cheddi Jagan’s evasive answers got him in trouble with Kennedy and the rest is history. See the attached picture.
Zelensky’s debacle ought to be a teaching moment for our leaders. Guyana does not have the luxury to “dance between the raindrops.” We must choose a side; we better learn that in America there is a new sheriff in town, and he is tough. God grants us wisdom to navigate the future and Slava Ukraini.
Yours truly,
Roger Ally
Fort Lauderdale
