IN many ways, I am a moderate, but, strangely, that makes me a radical in Guyana. I want to talk about ideas and strategy and structure and progress; not who allegedly slapped whom after a certain election loss.

Guyanese politics, admittedly, is entertaining because of these kinds of rumours, but they have become boring the way hearing about Trump’s reputed affairs is a bit boring.
I can feel it in my bones that a battle over the nation’s character is brewing; and as much as it’s about political parties, it’s also not.

Local politicians have never really had enough revenue in the corporate treasury to promise anyone anything. Yes, they have advocated for national infrastructural projects, but save for GuySuCo, it’s been hard to say: “Vote for me and I will give you this cash benefit.”
This has been as bad as our politics is, a bit of a saving grace. It has meant patronage has been limited; not wide-ranging as in Venezuela. But I worry we are heading there.
Subsidised food was a hallmark of Chavez’s regime, on the one hand providing the poor with much-needed assistance, but also ensuring an absolute dependency on that regime.
This, of course, kept Chavez in power. But if you really think about those kinds of policies, they prey on the most vulnerable; and there is something about their character which smacks of colonialism. After all, their focus seems not to be on uplifting men, providing them a pathway to a future of dignity and pride, but rather tying them to supporting a particular elite.

You could argue that I pick on former President Jagdeo often, but I think it’s important to note I don’t criticise him for not being married, or make use of any other personal attacks. I criticise his ideas, because I know he can lead the right-wing policy reform Guyana needs, but also suspect that it’s easier for him to lean on Chavez-style patronage for votes.
I expect this style of politics to swing into full gear, once the PPP/C has identified its new

presidential candidate; and I expect it to start with GuySuCo.
The former president’s proposal that oil money be used to pay retrenched sugar workers a salary until they find new jobs (which could be never) sounds like it came from the mouth of Chavez himself. It’s not that I think helping unemployed workers is superfluous, but that it’s clear to me that this is better handled through unemployment insurance, rather than handouts.

A programme which, as an example, pays all retrenched workers their former salaries for six months is something virtually every Guyanese can support; setting up funding for such a national, broad scheme is something I fully support.

But the core difference between these policies is not so much their structure, but what they communicate to voters. A blanket handout in exchange, presumably, for electoral support does nothing to uplift the people in a community. Instead, it binds them to parties they may not even want to support, because they depend on that party for survival.

On the other hand, unemployment insurance that provides a cushion for all when uncertainty strikes, provides workers both peace of mind and the confidence to seek the best jobs. This provides for dignity rather than dependence.

And this is where I believe the battle lines will be drawn; dignity versus dependence. It is all too easy to prey on Guyanese’s lack of self-confidence, selling them that handouts are all they can expect.

But I think that not only can we do better; this reflects a startling lack of belief in our own people. Much as he is despised by the PPP/C, I think there is so much merit to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s belief that GuySuCo served as a means of trapping people into a mode of work with few future prospects; few avenues for growth and development.
After all, was it the enterprise’s goal to turn cane-cutters into managers, and managers into investors?

I want to leave you with a radical idea, not for tomorrow, but soon after oil production has kicked into high gear.

What if the government paid Guyanese to take extra classes, so they could get a CSEC Math and English pass? Virtually all high-paying jobs require these two basic qualifications, and more than half of Guyanese are surely without this critical combination.

It’s simple, but wouldn’t it do so much to uplift a population suffering from the worst brain drain in the whole world? Wouldn’t it go a long way in ensuring a skilled workforce?
The difference between dignity and dependence is deciding to believe in your people, rather, scheming to hold them captive.