PRAGMATISM must have gone through the window of the minds of some who call themselves political and community leaders lest they would not have been indulging in a narrow political gaffe that Buxton ought to be out of bounds for His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Like my friend Charles Ramson and other letter writers, the President rules over the 83,000 square miles which is Guyana and has a vested interest in visiting any and all communities irrespective of the racial composition and political persuasion of any community.

I cannot recall anywhere that Buxton is no longer a part of Guyana, has been annexed and has its own government.

I believe the President’s visit, welcomed by the vast majority of Buxtonians, was aimed at rapport-building and rapprochement, especially since the village went through some turbulent times within recent years, was a feared no-go zone and was seen as the hub for criminal activities along the East Coast corridor and regarded as a hideout haven for criminals alien to the community.

Those who shamelessly engender hate for such an important visit, likening it to a “political charade”, surely seems not to want this historical village emerge and take its rightful place in the wider Guyana society and its must be laid bare to the ordinary, peaceful and hardworking folks of this community that there are “political Judases” in their midst.

These so-called political and community leaders must be condemned and their collective narrow political agenda must be exposed for the betterment of this historical village, purchased by freed slaves more than 200 years ago.

Like in every community, Guyanese must be able to visit wherever they so desire, more so the President since he has been elected, by Buxtonians too, to administer the affairs of the country and entrusted with the authority to ensure egalitarianism across the land.

There were recent talks by some, believed to belong to the vocal minority, who claimed neglect for the village and decried that the President is yet to visit the village. Well, he did, and now he is being damned. So, indeed “damned if you don’t, damned if you do.”

But, for those who may not know, it was a Buxtonian woman, Audrey Payne, an English teacher at Bygeval Secondary School in Mahaica, who played a major role in starting to shape the life of a youngster who rose to become the country’s president many years later.

President Jagdeo has a vested interest and an emotional attachment to Buxton.