Dear Editor,
DETACHED from teaching at Bath Elementary School for decades, I seem to have overlooked the importance of communicating effectively with students I once taught, their friends, and family members, with all of whom I once shared a memorable communal affinity. This communicative weakness on my part became clear while speaking to Ramesh, his brother Suresh, and a few others, all of whom expressed joy at reconnecting with me. During independent conversations, particularly with the brothers, it became clear that I needed to revert to the form of ‘Creolese’ I had not spoken in many years.
As we talked about the upcoming elections, political campaigns, and the political messaging, our conversations reminded me of the words of Nelson Mandela, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” The brothers, both of whom did not receive education beyond the elementary school level, noted that while they think that the PPP/C has done “a good job” for the country, the politicians often “talk above the people’s heads”.
When asked to explain further, Suresh said, “Teach [in keeping with how they addressed me in the past], the PPP give many young people house lots and loans so that they can now own a house. Other dan dat, dey would still live at dem parents’ battam house, or in a zinc shed in the back yaad. Politicians neva mek dis clear.”
When asked what he meant by this last statement, Suresh said, “All some people know is dat de PPP govament ah give away house lat, and dey can get one and own a house. Nobody from the PPP tell tem why dey do dis. For me, is a chance to develop demself and educate dem children.”
To which he added; “Me na educated, but all me children get good education, because the PPP mek more high school education free fo everybody. Today, me children finish high school and get good jobs, and dem and me grandchildren doing well. And dat mek me and me wife mo happy.” When asked if he thinks other parents view education the same way he does, Suresh said, “Teach, da dem politicians job to tell the people. Parents always happy when dem children and grandchildren get good education and do well in life.”
In speaking with Ramesh, he said, “Teach, tiday, me can retire happy. Why? Because the PPP increase retirement money and give people grants, so people na punish as before.”
In following up on his comment, Ramesh explained how his mother suffered when their father died at age forty-eight, and that he had to leave school to work, because his mother never worked in the sugarcane fields, and had to raise her six children without an income.
“If she was living tiday, she would get money from de government, and na suffa dat much,” he said softly, as if remembering the pains of his past.
In conversations with other former students and a few villagers, all expressed similar sentiments, with some mentioning the unity among Afro and Indo Guyanese at the recent PPP/C meeting held in Bath. Some noted that Afro-Guyanese travelled to Bath from Number Eight, Number Five, and Hopetown villages to join in the PPP/C rally and listen to the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister.
Altogether, my discussions with Bathians reminded me that people perceive the realities of everyday lives differently. And while they all agree that the country has developed enormously under the PPP/C government, they do not seem to understand how the totality of developments benefits them. Most voiced that the rich benefit more than they do.
This led me to surmise that the average Guyanese utilises a commonsense approach in their everyday interpretation of reality; a reality in which developmental projects now seem to be taken for granted, because of the money accrued from oil. This commonsense approach to reality finds reinforcement in what some explained that “the PPP government” has not made clear for “all to understand” how “roads, bridges, and airports help the poor”. They have no cars, no E-bikes and don’t travel much.
When asked if they think the WIN party can do better for the country, the prevailing response was laughter, accompanied by such statements as, “Who do you know would refuse free money?” “Why refuse free money when you can take it and still vote for the PPP?” And, “If Mohamed come hay to give away free money, I would line up.”
And, when asked which party they think would win the election, they all said the PPP, with some adding that, “PPP people need to betta explain to voters how their lives would improve” in the next five years.
Although the sample of people with whom I spoke is quite small, the overarching response seems quite clear. In the remaining days to the election, the PPP/C needs to better link its developmental accomplishments to the benefits such will bring to all Guyanese.

Regards,
Narayan Persaud, PhD
Professor Emeritus