By GHK Lall- From the time One Guyana hit the newsstands, I said that creature bears watching. On returning to Guyana, a priest had said the same thing about me. One Guyana, the record now shows is more than mystery, and is clearly political sorcery at its crudest. Whoever came up with that as a vision deserves to be crowned the king of gadgetry. For what is coming to light now is how One Guyana sounds good, but looks as bad as a man returning from a losing argument with Mike Tyson.
When One Guyana arrived, I first treated it as mathematical. One for all, all for one. Systems failure. Next, I tried the physical and chemical, with molecules and atoms fried, baked, boiled, shredded, and pounded into dust, until there was no further progress beyond pne last invisible, indivisible particle. All the delving into science was worthless. What was the option left? One Guyana is black magic science, obeah wisdom, and copyrighted witchery. No! those are not oxymorons. Oxen and morons, sure; but no oxymorons.
Perhaps, this One Guyana has some relationship to local demographics. Ah, the trail warms. I bypass endless disputes with the first recommendation: have a national flag with one color only. There are four choices, which I offer in order of superiority. Brown, red, green, and black.
A chance is taken for if the flag is to represent one people, brown is but a fraction of them; but brown has the crown. Incidentally, I’ve never seen a brown flag. Has anyone? An all-red flag may be bizarre to many Guyanese, even macabre, but green has faded, and blue has no chance. This is a tuff country. When Guyanese of all colors are lumped into One Guyana, the result is not a rainbow, but duck soup. A rainbow was not part of the One Guyana vision and program, so let’s get that clear. This just came into sharp, screaming focus.
Early last week, the PPP Govt finally broke the suspense. There will be a cash grant. Guyanese became so delirious that they started jumping up and down. They only heard the good news -cash grant on the way, a happening thing. The not-so-exciting news was that it wasn’t a Christmas cash grant, which naïve Guyanese had always believed was in the works, set their hearts on. What’s a cash grant that isn’t in time for Xmas? It can only be a cash cow with its legs tucked tightly under its belly.
No milk, kiddo; so, get lost. Once again, hopeful, trusting, Guyanese got jilted by their own personally selected sweethearts. Not the one arranged by mom and pop. This time it was going to be magic, and it is. Finally, the mystery and magic of One Guyana had run its tricky course, could hide no longer, and had to show its head. A monstrous one, it is. Almost like a death head. One of those favored by skinheads, outlaw biker gangs, and far-right fanatics, who just don’t like the word foreigner. In deference to their sensitivity, and because I am a caring fellow, Germans are left out.
One Guyana came out of the closet and went in search of its favorite Guyanese. Where and who? Where else and who else but across the New Demerara River Bridge (the Bharrat Jagdeo National Monument) and straight into the hearts of the kind of Guyanese that matter. The Europeans by the Rhine dreamed up their Master Race. The local guys crossing the Demerara River have their equivalent: One Guyana. It is well past Vreed-en-Hoop and well before Parika.
No Xmas cash grant for Guyanese, but a richly loaded Christmas hamper for One Guyana people. The largest, most sprawling sections of Guyana received a dud, and eat mud. The One Guyana people get a Christmas hamper. Whoever had doubts before is free to settle that deficit over there. A perfumed section of the Cabinet trekking over and fanning out with hampers for the chosen ones. Whoever was dressed in red could pass by the bandwagon and collect.
An anguished pensioner asked plaintively, ‘what about me?’ Multiply that one pensioner by whatever the census says, and there is that one compelling tragedy of Guyana. It is One Guyana now clear as day, and there’s the rest of Guyanese who must make do with hay. Get used to it, fellow citizens.
