What if it was your child?
– Freddie laments, as usual
The naysayers and doomsayers, all of whom have political agendas, give credit to this Government for nothing that they do, but instead nitpick unendingly over every initiative the Administration drives to enable eventual upward mobility of the nation. On a visit to Wakenaam on Monday three weeks ago, President Jagdeo, after commissioning the Wakenaam community ground and pavilion, engaged residents at the Maria’s Pleasure Primary School.

At both fora, the President explained that the primary objective of the airport on the islands of Wakenaam and Leguan was to avail residents of airlift to medical institutions in the event of a medical emergency on one of the islands.

Side benefits would be easy alternative travel for time-constrained visitors or residents of the island.  He explained that, as the economy is strengthened, the resources are being made available to concretise promises made by the PPP in its Manifesto.

There was not one dissenting voice.  During both engagements, the residents expressed their appreciation for the development works and the assistance that were being provided to enhance the lives and lifestyles of the residents on the island.

However, Freddie Kissoon, writing as an expert on the island by virtue of the fact that his in-laws originated from Wakenaam, disputes that there could be such medical emergency that warrants the cost of an airport on the island.

Describing the islands as sleepy villages where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy.  By this reasoning, Freddie argues that there are problems elsewhere and that the money earmarked for the airstrip on the island should be expended elsewhere.

What an insult to the sensibilities of the people of Wakenaam -and Leguan – on so many levels, and what an indictment on Freddie for the lack of importance within the national landscape that he accords these people.
Sleepy villages or not, agricultural community or not, President Jagdeo reiterates that he has to address all the needs of all the people of the country, and while resources are constrained, necessitating prioritization of projects, bit by bit every community is being taken care of within the national framework of development, and President Jagdeo says that every child’s welfare is of paramount importance to the Government.

Sleepy villages, farming communities or not, tractors can topple over on farmers, snakes can bite children, or the many life-threatening childhood diseases, or appendicitis, or peritonitis, among many other potential medical disasters can affect any member of the community.

Having travelled to that island using the normal route last week, I can appreciate the need for an airport for the members of the community, but, according to Freddie, the explanation that the President gave for the imperative of an airport on the islands renders it, in his own worlds, “unbecoming of (the) President to continue to make statements for which he can be accused of being illogical and poor in intellectual judgement.”

So because the President is spending money in developmental works in Wakenaam and Leguan, Freddie posits that he is “illogical and poor in intellectual judgement.”

I do not have the intellectual supremacy that Freddie purports to have, but even I can see the fallacy in this statement, which can be retorted to Freddie, because President Jagdeo is being acclaimed by world bodies as an intellectual extraordinaire and a leader par excellence, even while he grounds with his people at all levels and empathizes with their needs, working assiduously to cushion effects that could impact detrimentally on the national development trajectory and derail initiatives that are meant to cushion the lives of Guyanese – of all Guyanese.

But then Freddie is full of excrement – inside and out.
Stabroek News reported that a few hundred persons had attended the ceremony held at the Convention Centre to honour President Jagdeo for being conferred with the Champion of the Earth award by UNEP.

I sprained my ankle hurrying to the car that was taking me to the Convention Centre and almost did not attend, but the painkillers that I took to dull the pain probably made me hallucinate, because I saw several thousands of persons, from every walk of life, on those grounds, all seemingly very happy to see Guyana’s Head-of-State so honoured.