President’s Buxton visit heralds
Greeted by drumming and shouts of “HamJambo” and “Karibu” (welcome) to our President
PHILLIP Bynoe said it first at Linden, and a gentleman by the name of Phillips reiterated it in Buxton during an outreach to that community last Wednesday by President Bharrat Jagdeo – that confrontational approaches cannot facilitate, but instead impede developmental trajectories in communities.
Buxtonians have been seen as the bogeymen of Guyana for too long and that is about to change, because all the factors of change are now emerging and merging, largely due to the fact that the tradition and history that Buxton has of excellence in academia, achievement, high moral and social standards, and great spiritual values, all of which have been submerged in the national onsciousness by the crime wave that rocked that community for years, are being resuscitated.  Buxtonians are refusing to be relegated anymore to the sidelines of the national construct and are demanding their share of the national developmental pie.
No mother wants to see her offspring lying dead, cut down in the prime of his youth by a bullet – and too many Buxtonian youths have suffered that fate because of bad choices made through instigation by persons with agendas inimical to national cohesion and community development in order to perpetuate their own glory and power.
But today Buxtonians are saying: “Enough!  We want our respect and pride to be restored once more.”  And they are prepared to work toward this eventuality.  President Jagdeo urged members of the community to work together with the Government to create people-empowerment and wealth generational activities because, while honouring the contributions of village elders and ancestors, the current generation also needs to invest their own efforts to transform their community so that it once more reflects the glory that it once had.
Buxton was once the most progressive Guyanese village and the epicenter of local industrial activity, ever since it was bought in 1840 by 141 freed slaves, but has eroded in every possible way until it became a pariah in the national landscape, to the extent that job-seekers are constrained to provide false addresses to potential employers, which President Jagdeo denounced as geographical discrimination subject to prosecution by the law.
President Jagdeo’s love, respect and appreciation for the teacher he acknowledges as, after his parents, most responsible for the person that he has become, Buxtonian Ms Audrey Payne, is evident as throughout his public life he has constantly alluded to the influence she has had in his academic life and his approach to endeavour and achievement.  Citing his experience with this redoubtable lady, he agreed with Chairperson Barbara Thomas-Holder that Buxton has an excellent academic record.
Buxtonians had proven without doubt that their hearts were in the right place when they stopped the funeral cortege of Dr. Jagan with the cry of “Respect due!”  This rapprochement between the President and his people has been a process long in the making and, as Presidential Adviser Odinga Lumumba said, this is the right time.  Lumumba said he has no apology for supporting the PPP Government because the President has earned his respect as a leader committed to the welfare of his people, without fear or favour, a leader who works long, unremitting hours toward enhancing the lives and lifestyles of the Guyanese people.
Cultural activist Mboya Wood said this is a time for healing as he welcomed President Jagdeo to Buxton, to resounding applause from a packed auditorium. Very articulate little Nehemiah Thorn, who recently scored enough marks to be placed at Bishops’ High School is, according to Mr. Wood, a reflection of the new generation of Buxtonian.
Introducing Chairperson Ms Barbara Thomas-Holder, Young Nehemiah described her as, among other qualities and achievements, “…a wife, mother, daughter and friend to all.”
And these are among the qualities that have contributed to this brilliant woman being a prime organizer of the event that culminated into a greater understanding and appreciation between the President of Guyana and the people of Buxton.
“Buxtonians, the President is in the house; today is a historic day for Buxton!” was the rallying cry of Ms Thomas-Holder, to tumultuous applause from the audience.
“…and I feel real good…This is a long-overdue day.  This is a day that we waited for too long,” she added.
Expressing a wish that the engagement between the President and members of the community fructifies in tremendous benefits to Buxton, Ms Thomas-Holder said  she looks forward to a very productive afternoon and the President’s assistance in finding “workable solutions.”
Mr. Mboya Wood, in performing the libation ceremony, said “Africans believe that those ancestors, who are responsible for us being here today, must be invoked in our presence” because “had it not been for you, who are dead and gone, we would not be here today, and you being here today determines the future of the generation to come.”
It has always struck me that our cultures are not so diverse after all; because practically the same customs, philosophies and thoughts underpin our respective religious traditions.
Referring to the event as “a meeting of minds”, Mr. Wood said “it marks the culmination of three weeks or more of endless efforts by our visiting brothers and sisters from the Diaspora, and within the village, at trying to break with a particular mind-set – which has not worked, and will not work, if we are to seriously address socio-economic sustainability of this community…but we have hope, because there are people who displayed immense courage in the face of adversities and challenges, who remained focused throughout – and objective, and are willing to work with us, as long as we display a willingness to work – and we always have, but the opportunities to do so must present themselves.”  He reminded the gathering of the numerous industries that once flourished in the community, which demonstrated “….a robust industrial sector” driven by people of “all races, class and creed.”
In his response, the President expressed his extreme pleasure at being finally able to visit the community, stating that “…Our country and all of our communities need leaders who are positive.  That is the only way we will transform this land that belongs to all of us; and that is the only way we will fulfill our own ambitions to secure a better life for ourselves and our chi
ldren.
“I have always, throughout my entire life, advocated that we remain positive, even in the face of serious adversities.  I have heard many of the speakers before me outline the glorious history of this village and its tremendous achievements, and I think this is known to most Guyanese, and I am glad that they reiterated those achievements today.
“But, for me, I think that the achievements, as outstanding as they are, …we cannot just live on those achievements, (because) those were achieved by different people.  We too need to create a lifestyle here…make our contributions so that, 10…15 years hence, people are going to speak about the work done today…if we are going to transform the country and our communities.  We have to take inspiration from them, but we ourselves have to do the heavy lifting…to be committed to changing our own lives, and that starts with a positive outlook.”
Alluding to the many persons in Guyana who always put a negative spin on any Presidential and governmental initiative, with one contention of Government‘s outreaches being that they are doing this for votes, the President said that, while he would like everyone to vote for him, he became President of all the people of Guyana after the elections, despite running on a PPP/C slate, and his responsibility and mandate encapsulate the entire country and all the people in the land, not merely those who voted for him.
He, however, said that, just like a householder needs to prioritize the needs of the home because of financial constraints, similarly Government’s resources need to be deployed to address more pressing needs and ensure that greater and more productive benefit accrues to the people in the country.
President Jagdeo made it clear that he is not providing handouts but facilitating the imperatives and creating the mechanics for empowerment initiatives and wealth creation on individual and collective bases; while at the same time he promised more proactive approaches from the state level to strengthen and/or develop physical, educational, and social infrastructures.
To loud applause he promised the community rehabilitation of the Tipperary Hall, 20 computers for teaching and related purposes, instruments to form a steel band in the community, and to one woman he promised to ensure that a primary road is fixed.
Stating that domestic wealth eventuate into national wealth, the President invited, especially single parents, to take advantage of the WoW programme, and many persons filled out forms on the spot.
President Jagdeo listened in amusement as a member of the Toucan 11 Multipurpose Developers said that they needed $22 million for a centre and promised to “examine’ the probability.
Mr. Phillips, who lamented the lack of volunteer teachers, requested that a former literacy programme be resuscitated, to which the President said that Minister Baksh has a remediation programme in place and invited him to partner with the facilitators of the project.  Swami Shivshankaranandaji Maharaj, administrator of the Cove and John Ashram, which has membership of many young Buxtonians in its big brother/big sister literacy programme, with computer labs and a well-stocked library, is offering to share these resources with its neighbours on the East Coast corridor, which it has always done, until they have established their own facilities.  The Swami is also extending an invitation to the Toucan 11 Multipurpose Developers to partner initiatives together.
Adumbrating the many programmes and initiatives, including those taken by NDIA and Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, to transfigure the farming dynamics in the community; as well as the opportunities available for those who want to pursue agriculture as a means of economic advancement, the President reiterated that transforming the image and the socio-economic dynamics of the community can only be achieved by the people’s will working in collaboration with Government facilitation.