Dear Editor,
AFTER hitting a ton on his first attempt, Krauss is back and spins Guyana’s fragile racial dynamic, “Oil and New Leadership Raised Hope in Guyana. But Political Rifts Are Resurfacing”, most likely to curry favour, or even stoke the various players into action and interfere in Guyana’s political affairs.

This, is after he was treated to some swift, fast bowling from Guyanese the first time around. Though some of his points were welcomed in some quarters, they did not sit well with a broad cross section of Guyanese, and he “garnered” some classic “bouncers,” which probably pushed him to spin; lest, he is “yorked” the next time he tries to pull one straight down to the boundary, such as when he pointed out that children go to school in canoes.
After all, Guyana is a “vast, watery wilderness.” What did he expect?
But the disparities he alluded to are everywhere, all over the world – even in the USA. Just across the river from the swanky Columbia University where students glide to school in Mercedes Benzes and Jaguars, is the impoverished South Bronx in which children battle abject poverty in run down housing projects riddled with drugs, gangs and violence.
And the US is a developed country, at the top of the First World. After his initial piece which was not well received, he must have wondered how best to spin a narrative that runs deep to the bone. Thus, he decided to tackle the one hot button issue that has always plagued Guyana right from the beginning. He knows that race is the crux, simmering beneath the political landscape, as it is in many other countries–even the USA – and it is a surefire way to win over a swath of the population.

Clearly Krauss wants to appear reasonable as if he has Guyana’s best interest at heart. I believe the idea is to stay in the conversation, at least, until Exxon is finished with its mapping, and then possibly strike again–cabal in tow. Krauss might be adept at spin but when he tries to understate the role the CIA played in Guyana’s politics, it must be noted: Votes are not based on ideology, with both major parties leaning left. But their competition goes back more than half a century, even before the 1966 independence from Britain. The nation’s two founders—Cheddi Jagan, an Indo-Guyanese, and Forbes Burnham, an Afro-Guyanese—vied for control in a bitter battle that led to election tampering, violence, and labour strikes partly organised by C.I.A. agents.

It is almost impossible for anyone to know for sure the entire playbook of the CIA in Guyana during those frightening times, but here is a dose of reality to add some light and perspective to the issue. If Trump hadn’t won the election in the US, the world would have never known about the underhanded effort by “Peter Strzok” and “Lisa Page”, and their many collaborators to deliberately interfere in the outcome of a Presidential election.
The point is that the CIA was heavily involved in Guyana for a long time, free to do as they please, at their whims and fancy. Will Guyanese ever know the truth about the extent of their invisible hand at work, and how it pushed Guyana to the brink of chaos and anarchy? This is even more reason for Guyanese to be concerned should Exxon’s discovery in the future turns out to be wildly successful.

Krauss’ allusion to this piece of history breathes oxygen into the subject and Guyanese should insist that Krauss is more forthcoming in the future. I’m sure when all is said and done, it is bound to astound, if not stagger Guyanese, so much so that they would want to remain vigilant when the likes of Krauss try to spin their way into relevance.
I am reminded of a video I recently saw on the internet, in which a Jaguar fought an alligator for a spellbinding 15 minutes mostly under water and eventually brought the crocodile to the surface. https://nypost.com/video/its-the-jaws-of-death-between-a-jaguar-and-a-gator/
It is time Guyanese relentlessly pursue the entire CIA’s overreaching in Guyana, a sovereign nation with an unparalleled strategic location. This could happen again – and Krauss’ work could provide the spark.

Regards,
Ram Narine