PNC framers of propaganda have to return to drawing board

Dear Editor,
Chomsky reflects, “The more we learn, the more we realized how little we know.” In his 1768 “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, Thomas Gray coined the phrase, “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise”. A questioner enquired, “If so be the case, why are there not more happy people in the world?” A supporter squirmed, “People are supposed to fear the unknown, but ignorance is bliss when knowledge is so damn frightening.” A confirmer clarified, “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you know not anything about.”
After philosophizing, the man in the street may carefully summarized that, prevention is better than cure, and rather than to come to a hasty or less intelligent conclusion, it is better to take some degree of precaution and be reserved and conservative when sharing opinions on Guyanese affairs.
On one hand, there is so much information being kicked around like a football but then, on second thought, how much can you accept and believe? Who is telling the truth and what source is reliable is any one’s guess.
On the other hand, on instinct, one may realize that, there is not enough information circulating and there may be a deliberate act to withhold certain information. Critics would look at the third side of the coin and narrate that, the tongue twisters are having a field day by serving a hidden agenda.
With the blink of an eye, our attention is immediately and unhesitatingly transfixed on the youthful oil and gas industry that is creating electric waves in Guyana and at the said time, paving the way for Guyana’s economic transformation from being the second poorest nation in this hemisphere under the impoverished PNC governance, to being the richest nation per capita under the astute management of the PPP/C Party. After hiding behind excuses and breeding many “red herrings,” the PNC feared the wrath of the nation and was forced to show their dirty hands by revealing the lopsided Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).
This “smoking gun” represents the worst oil contract ever made in the history of the oil industry and reveals who is in bed with whom.  The obnoxious and atrocious monstrosities agreed to by the PNC Party, signaled the beginning of Guyana’s second era in colonialism. May 26th has now been diluted and Guyanese are once again in bondage, thanks to the generosity of the PNC.
How can you ever trust the PNC Party to take care of the affairs of this country when they blatantly abused the confidence of those who voted for them to gain power in 2015? The PNC showed their real color and intention when they concealed the US$18 Million signing bonus.
Imagine what would have happened had the PNC, who cannot correctly calculate what is the half of 65, been in charge of the billions of US dollars the oil is generating! The PNC manufactured a monster and now wants the PPP/C to harness it. It is always a case of them making a mess and the PPP/C having to clean up after them.
Readers and writers may be having the time of their lives when indulging in global, regional and national events in any subject matter: be it wars, economics, politics, geography, sports, cultural or social, just to mention a few to highlight and wet a juicy and insatiable appetite. Some are more privileged to access information than others, as in “Animal Farm,” where some are more equal than others. Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy in their writings and speeches used the phrase, “knowledge is power.” This phrase is attributed to Francis Bacon who wrote it in his “Meditationes Sacrae” (1597). Knowledge can help overcome fear or challenge, and that knowing is not enough, but one must apply it safely and correctly.
No wonder the PPP/C Government is providing Guyanese the opportunity of upgrading their academic skills with GOAL scholarships. Also, President Ali is forging an agenda to waive the payment of fees to attend UG and urging the students to combine study with work. All this is done on an equitable distribution scheme, unlike the cherry picking done by the former PNC Government.
Too much knowledge may be dangerous, not only to your health. It can bring sorrow.” Dr. Walter Rodney learnt the hard way. On his death bed, the founder of the PNC Party, Forbes Burnham, said, “…I know that somewhere therein there is bound to be a lesson for the misguided others.” Previously, Burnham had warned, “Make your wills,” …. “the steel of the People’s National Congress was sharper than any steel that the Working People’s Alliance might have.” In his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, Prime Minister and leader of the PNC, in his address at the Third Biennial Congress of the People’s National Congress Vol 2, August 22-26, 1979, at the National Exhibition Park, Burnham spoke, “We promise to match steel with steel and fire with fire…So comrades, let us deal now with another of them — the Worst Possible Alternative”. His concluding words were, “Comrades, we are now in the Roman amphitheater. The lion and the gladiator cannot both survive; one must die, and we know that the People’s National Congress will live.” Dr. Rodney’s death was sadly deemed to be “a waste of knowledge.”
Yet again, an analyst concluded, “Not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance is the death of knowledge!” IDPADA-G is once again being highlighted, and the administration is in the limelight. As one writer puts it, “…recent attempts to sway public opinion have been met with skepticisms by Afro-Guyanese groups who have become increasingly aware of the dubious activities within the IDPADA-G framework…” How safe is anyone to utilize the information freely or forcefully or fearfully or fairly or faintly or feverishly disseminated? Is it the alternative or affluence that will influence you in making your choice?
Which papers or parties or politicians do you believe? It may very well add up to be all in a day’s work. But Guyanese are no longer being taken for a ride and demand accountability and proper usage of Government funds. That is why the PPP/C Government has pulled the rug from under the feet of IDPADA-G. The PNC framers of propaganda have to return to the drawing board.

Yours respectfully,
Jai Lall