Dear Editor,
AS the world is waking up to a sleeping Donald Trump, America is grasping with the fact that Joe Biden is the next world leader, defending democracy and gasping at the pact that Trump and a few GOPs are still litigating election fraud petitions. Uncomfortable with his allies who are quickly distancing themselves from him, Trump is now claiming that the grapes are sour. For sure, our own David is laughing at this Goliath to see how he is embarrassing himself and putting America to shame in front of the window to the world. Quite a soliloquy must be playing out in David’s room, a penchant long overdue with nuance interchanging with nuisance, and him being cognizant of nescience. As David reminisces with remorse, the urge to surge and splurge a confession is adumbrated only in thoughts, but lack the execution by words or deeds. Willing but weak, his heart is in the wrong place, lacking courage and temerity. He seeks shelter and solace, while hiding behind walls, imprisoned by guilt and shame.
What led to the 1972 “Watergate Scandal” in America was the cause President Richard Nixon had to resign in 1974. His complicity in the involvement was publicly disclosed in the “smoking-gun tape”, and that avoided a House impeachment process for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Initially, after much cover up, 69 people were indicted, and 48 convicted, including many top officials in Nixon’s administration. The Watergate Scandal was a deeply-seeded political scandal, and it involved a spectacle of surreptitious and often illegal activities engaged by the Nixon administration. Inclusive but not limited were: The break-in of the DNC headquarters, the bugging (wire-tapping) of political opponents, people whom the President and officials were suspicious of, executing investigations of activist groups and political figures, and using the FBI, CIA and IRS as political weapons. Sounds familiar?
For the past 54 years, Guyanese have suffered immensely since achieving dependence, moreso for the 33 years of dictatorship under the reign of the ruthless PNC regime under different guises and names. The UF and AFC have colluded with the PNC, and in collaboration with the British and Americans at various stages, to usurp the smooth transitioning from poverty to prosperity. This poisonous injection created a crevice to affect the PPP/C from effectively delivering Guyanese from the shackles of servitude. At the end of the day, all political parties are complicit of aspersive innuendoes, and being a contributing factor to the detriment of Guyanese interests, to some degree and in one form or another.
Operating out in Guyana is the sleuth work of the Waterfall’s uproar at the slew of events. As a result, there is an added awakening of consciousness, as more and more information is being played and weighed out in the open, thoughts are being flayed, minds are being slayed, and people are either strayed or swayed. There is the pain in the neck involvement of the oil saga, and then the pain in the butt revelation of the corruption trauma. Every day, there is a sore point producing drama on the high seas or on the low lands. But it seems as if there is a trend set with crediting limited pacesetters creating waves of domino effects. The flow of the pen is faster than the tide of the ocean, causing ripples to impact the eroding shores of a vulnerable Guyana. This affront is breaking down a once irresistible barrier that was a fortress for a storehouse of secrets.
What strength lies behind such a willpower, and what motivates the inquirer to intrude and protrude beyond the call of duty? Why this resilience to champion a cause, and what or who inspires such determination? Speculation and expostulation can quickly become a rendition for explanation and exclamation! Does it necessitate responding to a civic duty, or, accentuate corresponding to being snoopy, or, to ventilate the reaping of booty? Posing a problem may be the prankishness of a paper, or, the playfulness of people, or, the peppiness of a party, or, even the pertness of politics. Is it propaganda for public satiation, or, publicity for attention, or, promotion for distribution? Is this a policy for position, or, policing for protection, or, a preference for power, or, a prerequisite for proliferation?
The dissemination of information is to report the undistorted truth in a professional and unbiased manner, as quickly as possible and after careful examination from legitimate source, among other considerations. Reporting is dependent on variable contingencies, sometimes controlled and other times, uncontrolled. Exercising diligence on this job performance sometimes exposes the personal safety and imposes the private interference of investigators. How wary is the public awareness and how tardy can be their appreciation? Is there accommodation with apprehension or satisfaction? Do assimilators easily buy into what is being fed, or do onlookers slowly analyze what is being advocated, or do readers quickly accept what is being written? They say, news, views and interviews can be construed conveniently or misconstrued inadvertently. Old news is no news and, then again, no news may be good news. Guyana needs to bond more with bold, brave, brash and brazen journalism.
Respectfully,
Jai Lall
