THE granddaughter of a once very famous politician from the 1970s is doing a biography of a current famous Guyanese. She interviewed me for my thoughts on her subject. During the interview, she asked me for my political leanings. I told her I support the presidency of Dr Ali. She then asked why.

I responded with a question of my own – what my current political perspectives have to do with her subject. She explained that she wanted to see if my conceptualisations (my word) of Dr Ali tie in with how her subject feels about the president.

I then offered her my reasons for choosing Dr Ali as a Guyanese leader that I endorse, admire and would help. I have added other factors for the purpose of this column. First, I think there comes a time when a leader emerges from under the shade, bathes in the sunshine and that exposure to sunlight transforms his substance.

Mohamed Irfaan Ali reminds me of so many global heroes that I admire and who became transformative and left an indelible legacy. Mikhail Gorbachev is first on my list. When you see how the European, Chinese, Russian and American leaders insanely embrace power, then Gorbachev is a unique human that politics may never see in another hundred years or more. Based on who writes our history, then Gorbachev may never be given his rightful place in history. I cannot think of any American or European leader who had/has the essential humane substance as Gorbachev.

Next is Jose “Pepe” Mujica, a former Tupamaros guerrilla whose capture resulted in torturous imprisonment that nearly caused mental illness. He will always remain one of the unique humans that politics gave birth to. He ruled a country without even a tinge of arrogance or political partisanship. Leaders like him we will not see in generations to come.

I do not want to take up space with other examples and run out of space for my panegyric of President Ali. I believe Ali’s journey has taken him to a unique place in his country’s history where he feels he wants to make something out of Guyana that defies his predecessors. Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, said these words last week about Guyana, as reported in this newspaper: “Guyana is an exceptional bright spark in a challenging global space.”

I believe that the pyrotechnical glow is because of the personality of the Guyanese president. People in Guyana like and admire him. The world knows about him and sees him in positive terms. Only two of our presidents occupied global attention – Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan. The world knew about Jagan and admired his honesty in politics, modest character, and undying embrace of the world’s poor.

Burnham was someone the entire world knew about. But he threw away potential for shining on the world stage because power intoxication stepped in his way. I believe Dr Ali enjoys a space that was there for Dr Jagan, but illness prevented Dr Jagan from occupying it. It should have gone to Burnham if Burnham had not self-destructed.

Where does Dr Ali go from here? I don’t believe it is fair to him to knock him for areas of fault in the Government of Guyana. You cannot hold a prime minister or a president responsible for all the mistakes the state makes. There is a bigger picture, and Dr Ali must be judged by that bigger portrait.

One of the reasons I gave my interviewer for choosing President Ali is because of the distribution of wealth to the working people of Guyana. In this respect, he has a lot in common with “Pepe.” There is capitalism in Guyana. There will be capitalism under President Ali. It is abysmal ignorance to suggest that President Ali should abolish capitalism.

What I see Dr Ali doing is what “Pepe” has done. Redistribute the wealth of a country. There is a sincere attempt by Dr Ali to elevate the lower economic classes in Guyana. Dr Ali also reminds us of one of the brightest sparks in Western leadership, but the light on that spot has remained opaque because Western media and Western academia have chosen not to write about him, and that is Pierre Trudeau of Canada.

Trudeau was interested in building a multiracial Canada, and his record on that is second to none in any Western country in the past and at the present time. Dr Ali’s dream of building a multi-racial Guyana sets him apart from his counterparts in the rest of the world. Guyana’s Mohamed Irfaan Ali has the space for political excellence waiting for him in Guyana, the Caribbean and the world. I think he should grab it with both hands. I know he will.

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.