As the PNC goes into a frenzy, trying to whitewash the image of Burnham on his 100th birth anniversary, let’s look at what Dr Festus Brotherson – a former PNC ExCo member – said in a paper published by the Ivy League Stanford University. Starting with his vaunted “foreign policy genius”: “The country’s foreign policy was not crafted over the years to serve the objective national interest. Rather, the overriding objective of Guyana’s authoritarian leadership was to do abroad what it had failed to do at home: i.e., to establish legitimacy. With this approach, Burnham sought to follow the strategy outlined by Machiavelli, namely, to legitimize one’s regime by means of glorious foreign adventure or diplomatic success, which would whip up nationalist fervor on the one hand and stifle domestic opposition on the other, wringing grudging support from the latter in the process.” Now you know!!
On the domestic front, this quest for legitimacy also dictated Burnham’s policies: “Burnham’s resurrection of radical socialism was inspired by the opportunity which that ideology afforded to gain near-total authoritarian charge of the society, and to out-radicalize his Marxist rivals in his pursuit of legitimacy. He wedded himself to the exercise of authoritarian measures which socialism justifies. Repeatedly portraying the domestic situation as one of “peaceful revolution,” he explained away resort to coercion and arbitrary action as requisite “revolutionary tactics.” Imagine that!! We were turned into a ”coop socialist republic”, merely to give Burnham cover to rule by brute force!
His increasingly radical turn teed off the US, which couldn’t get rid of Burnham, because they saw Cheddi as “the worse of two evils” so squeezed otherwise: “In the wake of an informal, but effective, Western freeze on economic assistance to Guyana, trade and barter arrangements with communist nations increased significantly. Invariably, these countries took advantage of Guyana’s need to dump their inferior goods and flawed technology on the society, as in the case of a Chinese textile mill, Bulgarian telephones and radio communication equipment, Soviet cars, commercial aircraft and military helicopters, and Yugoslavian buses.”
About the boasts on Burnham’s “creative policies”, this is what Brotherson wrote: “Burnham was always on the alert to adopt projects which his counterparts abroad had used to their own advantage in their own countries in hopes such strategies would prove equally successful in garnering personal support for him in Guyana. For example, following a state visit to Tanzania, Burnham announced the “Declaration of Sophia”, in which he introduced the controversial policy that the ruling party should be paramount over the government. This was no more than a thinly disguised version of Julius Nyerere’s Arusha Declaration in that East African country.”
If he were in school, Burnham would’ve been punished for plagiarism!
…Granger
Your Eyewitness was surprised David Granger wasn’t at the PNC ceremonies to tout Burnham. He knows that right now there’s some “swell mouth” between the Norton team and the “sanctimonious gangster”, but you’d think that this was the perfect time for them to kiss and make up! Jeez, the man only turned over his home to house the “Burnham Foundation” keeping Burnham’s legacy alive!! Your Eyewitness hasn’t visited but he guesses it had pics of how Burnham turned Guyana from a flourishing country to a poster child for poverty!! But that’s Burnham’s legacy, no??
But not only that; Granger was a protégé of Burnham – plucked straight out of QC in 1965 and sent off to Mons for training to form the core of Burnham’s new army!! While there were others like Joe Singh etc, Granger obviously showed quite early on that he was willing to toe Burnham’s line. Which is why he was made head of the GDF in 1979 when Rodney was infiltrating it!!
And now, no invite?? Cold!!
…Mashramani
We’ve all been taught that “Mashramani” is an Amerindian word meaning “celebrating of a job well done”!! Not so!! The PNC just concocted a word to give a “national” cover for stealing Trinidad’s carnival as our Republic Day jump-up!!
