Dear Editor,
It would appear that some of our political actors have yet to grasp the enduring wisdom of the simple adage that there is a time and a place for everything. The recently concluded recording of the BBC World Questions programme in Guyana unfortunately provided a most unfortunate illustration of this deficiency.
During the event, Minister Kwame McCoy, along with individuals associated with the PPP and state media, conducted themselves in a manner that can only be described as distasteful and disruptive. There were preliminary matters surrounding the organization of the event that I am privy to and will address in a subsequent letter. However, even from the very first question posed to the panel, it became evident that the decorum expected of a forum of such international standing was being undermined.
Mr. McCoy and a member of his team who was present in the audience, whom I later learned to be a young man by the name of Derwin Wills, began heckling from the floor as panelists attempted to respond. This behaviour was not only discourteous but deeply troubling. It highlighted a broader and more concerning tendency within sections of the government’s political culture: the apparent belief that dissenting voices can be silenced through intimidation, noise, and bullying tactics rather than reasoned engagement.
The disruption became so pronounced that the moderator himself was compelled to intervene and ask the minister to refrain from interrupting, as his conduct was interfering with the orderly progression of the discussion. For an event of international stature, one that should have showcased Guyana’s maturity as a democratic society, such behaviour was both embarrassing and regrettable.
More troubling still is the example it sets for younger participants in our public discourse. When senior public officials behave in a manner that is loud, uncouth, and dismissive of basic decorum, it sends an unfortunate signal to impressionable young people that such conduct is acceptable in civic life. That, perhaps, is the greatest tragedy of all.
Guyana is a nation striving to take its place on the global stage. If we are to be taken seriously as a society that values open dialogue, mutual respect, and democratic engagement, then those entrusted with public office must model those virtues rather than undermine them.
Yours truly,
Dr. Roopnarine Lall, PhD
