Dear editor,

MOSES Nagamootoo’s otiosity continues. This wastefulness of a now ‘mere shadow of a man’ was adumbrated as far back as 1895, when Anton Delbrück’s clairvoyance spotted the likes of him, and now Guyanese are experiencing Nagamootoo’s tendencies to mythomania and pseudologia fantastica. His recent article, “Vaccines, Vultures and Victims” leaves a lot to be desired and smacks of a schoolboy, who ‘cusses out’ instead of making a point. I will only address his first two complaints.

Nagamootoo says, “Serious allegations have been raised that the Guyana Government has run afoul, by overspending public funds, to buy vaccines, and mis-directing flood-disaster relief.” Let me address these, since Nagamootoo, for sure, could not have been following recent developments.

A March 15, 2021 Managed Healthcare article notes, “So far, governments around the world have been the only purchasers of the COVID-19 vaccines, so the price has been set by government contracts. But different countries are paying different prices. The EU is also paying less for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine than the US, $14.70 per dose versus $19.50. On the other hand, the U.S. is paying less for the Moderna vaccine (about $15) than the EU (about $18). The contribution governments have made toward vaccine research is the explanation for the price differences. Moderna is charging the U.S. less for its vaccine, because the U.S. government funded research that led to the vaccine’s development. Similarly, the EU supported research that led to the development of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, thus the lower price for that vaccine for the EU.”

In other words, the vaccines, irrespective of the type, can run to approximately US$20 and so far, we can surmise that some 250,000 in Guyana have received vaccines, at least the first dose, and around 100 the second dose. This means, on the average, some 300,000 vaccines have been used, which means using up some six million dollars. Remember, we are not tallying accompanying expenses here, such as shipping and storage.

So, when Nagamootoo talks about “… deals with questionable foreign sources, as red-lighted by the Sputnik V vaccines controversy, in which private operatives in Saudi Arabia and Norway were named,” we are shell-shocked, and I am sure I speak for the majority. This kind of wild saying runs parallel to Joseph Harmon’s outbursts, when, just a few days ago, he railed that the vaccines were not authentic, yet he himself took both doses of the said ones he was smearing.

Now concerning his blast that there is a ‘mis-directing of flood-disaster relief,’ Nagamootoo is a lone wolf baying in the dark. All he needs to do is visit the many news outlets and note what is taking place. The situation in Guyana is of such, that President Dr. Irfaan Ali, had to officially declare “… a disaster in Guyana due to flooding.” The proclamation notes that as of June 7, 2021, a total of 28,228 households were affected by flooding, some with water entering their homes, domestic animals and livestock in distress or farmlands inundated.” This tragic emergency inspired external bodies to lend aid in a most unquestionable manner. The situation is so dire that there is no room for even contemplating anything untoward.

Just a few weeks back, the Government of Guyana was forced to intensify distribution of food and sanitary supplies to flooded households and persons who have been relocated to shelters. On one occasion, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, visited the National Gymnasium to lend aid, as truckloads of supplies were being packaged for distribution by ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), with critical support from civilian volunteers. Just this weekend, the French Red Cross’ Regional Intervention Platform for the Americas and the Caribbean rushed 9.45 tonnes of various items aboard a French military vessel, Dumont d’Urville, to Guyana to assist with flood relief.

We can see then, that Nagamootoo’s nauseous ramblings manifest a deeper condition. He needs a lot of help. He is still to recover from the toppling of the APNU+AFC. His ship has long floated away. Guyana is rapidly moving far away from the world of Moses Nagamootoo, and it seems as though he will end his time on earth, steeped in ‘mythomania’ and ‘pseudologia fantastica.’

Yours faithfully
Matthew Hendrix