AN American airport passenger waiting to check in for a flight was in a long line and it was moving slowly.  Being a well known national luminary ,he jumped the line and approached the counter to get expedited service. He gave his name hoping its prominence would be the key to success. The very polite check in lady attendant responded: “Sorry sir, you have to get back in line; there are people ahead of you.” “Do you know who I am?” replied the huffy luminary. With everyone looking on, the lady took the microphone, got on the public address system and announced:  “May I have your attention, please. There is a gentleman here at the check in desk at Delta airlines who does not know who he is. Can anyone kindly identify him?”  Politeness is so profound, isn’t it, to swat a huge ego?

Reference is made to a letter by Mr John ‘Bill Cotton/Reform’ Mair in the SN November 19, 2013 titled “Yesu  Persaud has many outstanding qualities”.  No doubt one of them is the inspired loyalty whereby one of his friends can remind us of his excellent politeness in a letter to the press.  For Mr Persaud to have a study centre at Warwick University named after him is a sterling achievement. So far, no other Guyanese has had such an honour anywhere. Was Sir Shridath Ramphal the inspiration for this significant accolade? That you are an “honorary fellow” at Warwick, old boy, and loyal to your Guyanese roots is also commendable.

Most endearingly commendable is politeness from anyone that makes it outstanding in “old school.”  Mr Persaud can only be insignificantly dubious. I only met Mr Persaud once by “accident” at a wedding reception. Unknown to me at that time he was standing in company of a good friend. After asking to be excused the friend and I exchanged pleasantries without any unnecessary introductions.   After joining the buffet line, Mr Persaud apparently joined, behind me. Chit chatting often occurs while in line and in such proximity with nothing else to do. “So who are you” I cheerfully asked the gentleman, behind. “You don’t know who I am?” replied the behind voice. “Sorry, I really do not know.” “I am Yesu Persaud” the scowling human face said. With the biggest jaw dropping grin, I shook his hands and turned around.

That a British university affiliated with Mr Yesu Persaud invited a despised Sir Shridath to pay tribute to Dr Walter Rodney and Mr Mair now reminds us that the same Mr Persaud “ has built the one successful internationally recognised Guyanese company in DDL” may  be an intended salute to a man more so for his entrepreneurial skills. Sorry. But excellence in DDL’s liquor production is no achievement to me. But Mr Mair, a long established UK writer made no such differentiation. Considering that Mr Persaud could have, by premeditated choice, elected to bring similar success to any other Guyanese enterprise, he nevertheless selected liquor production to aid and abet the destruction of Guyanese families.  Predetermination is not enshrined in genetics when free will and common sense can override it.  Obviously Mr Persaud’s life’s works do not altogether make him a non-hero to everyone as much as liquor defines him. Like Mr Mair, it gives me great pleasure to wish his “friend a happy and long retirement, but I (too) suspect he will not be that quiet for very long”. “Silence” is not the most significant pre-qualifier for quality reincarnation in Hinduism to which Mr Persaud is supposedly affiliated. His karma (actions) are what matters most when he meets his maker. How will DDL’s abundant liquor production be measured will be his own business in which the press would have no say whatsoever.

SULTAN MOHAMED