When the PPP/C was advising the country to chase the President and his ministers

– this ‘west side academic’ was silent

Dear Editor,
ANYONE who took the time to listen to the address of the PPP/C presidential candidate at the launch of his party’s campaign cannot help being appalled by the sheer depravity of the mind of the messenger, and by extension, of the PPP/C. Time and space may not permit me to look at the whole speech here, but there are a couple of things that I would like to address.

The Candidate attempted to appeal to the sympathies of his following from the outset, by saying that like every human being, he is not perfect, and that none of us can claim perfection. We all make mistakes. This is true. But this is where the candidate knocked the footing from under his argument, and that of his Party. If he is admitting to imperfection, why then is he expecting the Coalition Government to be perfect? Admitting to human imperfection makes nonsense out of his challenge for the presidency, because, by his argument, he will be just like every other human being who holds and has held the office of the presidency, imperfect. If, as he argues, because we are all imperfect, the approach should be to lift each other and make each other stronger, then he should listen to his own advice and lift President Granger and the Coalition Government and make them stronger rather than preying on their imperfections.

The appeal to human imperfection, however, is nothing but a subtle justification for the academic crookedness he committed. This is where the depravity of mind exhibits itself. By admitting to human imperfection, the PPP/C presidential candidate is attempting to excuse away the immorality of forging qualifications, among other things. His is the subtle suggestion that the end justifies the means. So we must forget about all of that, because, after all, he now has a doctorate. Moreover, as the president, he will transform himself to be an example of morality. The issue here is that mistakes and morality are not always related. A mistake is an unintentional committal of a wrong. But when one engages in an elaborate scheme to create false qualifications, conspires with others to commit the act, and carries out the act on multiple occasions, that can hardly be regarded as a mistake. The PPP/C Candidate knew exactly what he was doing. It was his intention to commit an academic fraud. He chose the road of moral decadence to achieve his objective. He now has no moral ground to stand on to appeal to human imperfection. He did not make a mistake; he chose to commit an academic crime. Now he can hardly be an example to the youth of this nation; he can never tell the youth of this nation of the virtue of working hard for academic success.

The other issue that warrants a comment is his view on the psychological state of the President and the Coalition Government. The Uitvlugt College graduate accused President Granger and the Coalition for being stuck in an old mindset. Soured by the rejection of the PPP/C in Sophia and Laing Avenue, he lamented that it is because the Coalition and its leaders were stuck in an old mindset that they did not offer a comment. This was the same barbarian who led a bunch hooligans to threaten the safety of President Granger and some Ministers of his Cabinet. When the PPP/C was advising the country to chase the President and his ministers, this West-Side’ academic was silent. Now that the advice is used against his party, it has now become a grievous wrong. Lawyers describe a depraved mind as an inherent deficiency of moral sense and integrity. This definition aptly describes the PPP/C candidate and his party. It sickens the stomach to think a person will condone a certain action when they are leading it, and be transformed into a complaining wimp when the same action is perpetuated against them. If anyone is stuck in an old mindset, it is the Uitvlugt alumni. He is still stuck in the old politics of deception and disregard. To think that such a one wants to lead this country in its most glorious era since independence is enough to make one vomit. Leaders must, above all else, display a high sense of morality and integrity. This bequeaths to the youth the right attitude for nation building. The alternative is ‘gangsterism’, and we can never again let that become a feature of our society.

Regards,
S. Benjamin

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.