FRIDAY last, the visiting Palestine’s Ambassador to the UN held a seminar at the Pegasus Hotel on securing diplomatic recognition from CARICOM nations for Palestine as a sovereign state and to be admitted to the UN as such.
After the event, former President, Donald Ramotar introduced me to the ambassador from China who was sitting behind me.
This lady’s modesty was piercing. Here was an ambassador from one of the world’s leading superpowers and she operated without any airs about her. She was all smiles when she told me she reads what I write. She went into her handbag, gave me her card and then wrote her cell number. Then she wrote another number on the card. She said if I cannot find her on her cell, I must try that number.
I remind you, this was the ambassador from one of the two superpowers in the world. This lady was quite ordinary in her conversation with me. There were no airs or graces. Standing next to her was a young Chinese man quite dapper in his suit. She introduced me to him and she said I can contact him if I need to speak to her. He asked for my number which I gave. The next day, he sent me a text message.
I was asked to take a photograph with the Palestinian ambassador. While we were talking, this gentleman came up, stretched out his hand to me and during the handshake said he was Cuba’s ambassador to the UN, then, he said that his cousin is Cuba’s ambassador to Guyana. I replied: “Then it is a family affair,” which he found amusing.
Senegal’s UN ambassador came up and chatted with me based on the content of my comment during the question period. This was a completely different atmosphere from the ambience where Western diplomats are present. They would not come up to you. You have to go to them and you must have a little touch of sycophancy in your approach before the courtesy is extended to you.
It is in these social circles you see the cultural differences between the Western world and the East. I could not believe how courteous that ambassador was to me. We were all taking photos with the Palestinian ambassador and she was standing alone, and I waved to her to join in the group. It is as if she wears a permanent smile.
Talking to the Senegalese Ambassador was like conversing with one of my friends. There and then you experience the difference between the Third World and the West.
In one of my series on the new Cold War last year, I made reference to a visit by invitation by the Chinese Ambassador. Here is what I wrote in part three of the series carried on Tuesday, August 14, 2023: “Glenn Lall, Ravi Dev and I once had dinner with a Chinese ambassador. It was phenomenal to see the modesty of this man.
He summoned the consular officers to meet with us. It was equally phenomenal to see how modest these young men were. We went through no metal detector examination. I could never imagine any Western ambassador behaving with such friendliness.”
I once knew a senior diplomat in the Indian High Commission. Back then there were no online newspapers. You had to read the print edition. He arranged for me to have the English language newspapers from India that come to the High Commission. This man came across as just an ordinary person who saw me in friendly terms.
I honestly cannot remember his name but I will always remember a conversation we had. I asked him if he socialises with the Indian business community in Guyana. His response drew me closer to him as the months went by. He said, “No, I don’t know them, those are money people.” Those were his exact words and I get the impression that he was a bit of a left-wing thinker.
I collected newspapers from the High Commission years after he left because he ensured the facility was granted to me. Now I had the opposite experience with the British High Commission. I got to know an English woman working at the High Commission through Sister Mary Noel Menezes.
That was a long time ago. She has since retired and the last time I saw her was at Survival Supermarket a few years ago.
She arranged for me to have the Guardian newspaper from the High Commission. My presence lasted a mere two weeks. On visiting the High Commission, you felt as if you came to beg for something. I was never going to engage in lowering my dignity for a few newspapers. I wish the Chinese Ambassador, an enthralling and philosophical stay in Guyana.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.
