Dear Editor,
It is argued that analogy is the “core of cognition” (Hofstadter in Gentner et al 2001). It is with that in mind that I write to express my concern about the reasoning evidenced in Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman’s “When someone, standing with a piece of wood in hand, shouts out that the mangoes growing in your back yard are not yours, you don’t stand around waiting to see what happens next, or for a lash, you start preparing to pick those mangoes as quickly as possible.” This was proffered in defence of claims of malfeasance, corruption and incompetence in the APNU/AFC Administration’s rushing to first oil production in 2020.
An analysis of this analogy reveals much to explain the contiguous follies of the Granger Administration. The rational response to a threat claim on your mangoes is to establish that the mango tree is indeed in your yard, to call on law enforcement to protect you from the threat of a lash from said wood and seek all legal means to protect your fruit. To hurriedly prepare for the harvest of the mangoes in your own backyard like a thief is irrational; it is indicative of an unsure mind; of a criminal mindset; of an unwillingness to work within a legal framework to solve problems. To see that the boy picking the mangoes for APNU/AFC is getting the majority of the mangoes does not require knowledge of “half” math, it is plain to see that they have been outsmarted.
The plethora of poor decisions that have followed from this irrational response to a perceived threat has cost our nation billions in future revenues. To further offer haste to establish claim as a valid excuse for gross incompetence in the handling of vital negotiations is illogical and expedient. The APNU/AFC have given away the majority of fruits of the nation in return for nebulous gains in time.
The other important point to note is that now that yard may be handed over via elections to new managers, will there be a grab by Trotman et al for mangoes? The caretaker function is implied to protect the fruits of the nation from men with long bags. The thinking on display through Trotman’s analogy speaks to the danger to national assets during this short period before General and Regional Elections. The public service must be ever vigilant to protect our fruits from those looking to leave office with full bags. Let them know if they steal in haste they will repent in long leisure while incarcerated.
Respectfully,
Robin Singh
