Some Guyanese will always be third class citizens in their own country. There was once a saying that called on people to aim for the stars. That statement continued that if you fail, you will land on the moon.
Simply put, if one sets primary goals but for some reason or other that primary goal is not reached there is always a secondary goal.
There was Mortimer Duke, Guyana’s youngest ever Guyana Scholar at 15. This Queen’s College phenom was a poor boy who studied by lamplight while his mother sold food and snacks at nights on the roadside.
He topped the country when he wrote the senior examinations. As was the case in those days, every top student in Guyana travelled to England to continue his academic performance.
Reports stated that Duke wanted to pursue a career in law. The white overlords said that he was not of the right hue to study law to perform in his native British Guiana. He switched to engineering. This was the brightest person in Guyana.
By the time Forbes Burnham travelled to England after securing his Guyana Scholarship, conditions had changed. He studied law and returned to Guyana to lead this country to Independence. Edgar Mortimer Duke became an Engineer. He never got to fulfil his primary goal but he did himself proud.
In Guyana today, many do not even set a primary goal except that goal is to collect money. Many accept their status but rather than work to uplift themselves, they get sidetracked. Many do not even try.
The result is that they are easily satisfied. How else can one explain why these people support their oppressors? The government knew this so it made the people so poor that any sum of money would seem like a fortune to the struggling masses.
Others used the same ploy with great success. This would have been different if the parent had taken the time to guide their offspring. There are those of us whose parents drummed into our heads that we should take in our education. We did.
The result was that while many of us did not get rich we did pretty well for ourselves. Later on we used ourselves as examples to our children. Children are fast learners. Whatever example we set they readily follow.
The inner city is full of examples. We see very young mothers who settle to become single mothers. So it was that when Aubrey Norton and Dr David Hinds began to examine the local situation they said that the change must come from the people.
The politicians cannot force that change.
A common view is that people can effect the change at the ballot box. That works in a homogenic society. People have one issue to target their attention. If the economy is not performing and they believe that the government is at fault, then they can vote out that government.
This has happened all over the world except in the most dictatorial societies. The people of Venezuela took this decision when sanctions applied by the United States began to hurt them. Until then, they had been living the good life under President Chavez.
It was reported that gasolene was cheaper than water. The country really benefited from the oil economy. The situation changed. Chavez died and Maduro who was in no way as charismatic attracted a huge opposition.
Guyana has two large race groups. The major political parties have laid claim to these groups to the extent that there is always racial voting. These days rather than vote for one group or the other people stay at home.
In the last elections people stayed away from the polls in droves. But the shenanigans ensured that the incumbent remained in office.
Whenever the Guyana situation is discussed outside the borders of the country people simply can’t understand how Guyanese people complain about being marginalized then rush to support the very people who marginalize them.
The answer is simple. Give them some scraps. The recipients of the scraps often proclaim, “Half a loaf is better than none”.
But that half a loaf can only do so much. It can only go so far. The result is that robberies are becoming commonplace. The robbers are even younger.
Some parents are crying. Those tears will dry up for a short while when the government hosts some international artiste for a concert at independence.
Something is wrong with some people. There are women who would request money for hair, nails, dress and shoes even though there is no food for the children. Some would casually say that tomorrow would provide for itself.
The few who can think and those who would listen to reason should impart to their children that education can change their situation. But these are so in the minority.
This is the situation that the politicians must confront. They have no solution. Some in their limited way visit communities to talk to people hoping that they would see the light. The reality is that there is none so blind as he who would not see
