…Executive Mandela?
“Mandela Day” has come and gone, but what have we gained from reflecting on the life of the great man? Did we even reflect? Our political leaders were locked in debate in Parliament – and they hardly looked “Mandela like”. It was the same ole, same ole – which was the complete opposite of what Mandela stood for in his principled quest for justice.
For instance, Gandhi was one of Mandela’s heroes and the iconic South African leader even started out as a pacifist. But as the thinking, committed-to-justice man he was, after analysing structural practices holding Apartheid in place, he concluded violence was necessary. Then. But after being freed, knowing it may be distorted during the tense post-Apartheid negotiations, in a cameo in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X”, he refused to utter the latter’s famous “by any means necessary”.
Mandela was committed to his country and realised “tit for tat” responses aren’t conducive to sustainable peace. For decades, the Government had used “whatever means necessary” to oppress Africans and other non-whites to construct the Apartheid state. But Mandela understood he’d have to create conditions where all South Africans, including the whites, would remain committed to their country. Freedom achieved by “any means necessary” had the danger of becoming institutionalised and forming the mirror image of the Apartheid system just overthrown.
The great man, who’d spent 27 years in jail for his commitment to justice for his African people who were treated like third-class (and third-rate) citizens in their own country, understood it would take the efforts of all South Africans, especially whites, to make South Africa, first class. Taking over the reins of power after his people had been excluded from the experience of running a modern state for so long necessitated the cooperation – if not the commitment – of the whites to build a “rainbow” nation.
Guyana so much needs a Mandela-like leader at this time. It’s futile to keep on debating whether the leaders during the “28 years of the PNC” and the “23 years of the PPP” could’ve done things differently leading to a more united nation. That’s water under the bridge. Let’s stipulate they did their best. But what about going forward?
Do we really need to keep on hiring people for almost all the major jobs in Government and State institutions from one set of Guyanese? Or providing “leadership training”? Or heading Commissions of Inquiry? Or whatever? As to whether the Government “intends” to exclude half the country, is irrelevant. The effect of the optics will send its own ripples.
The hour for a Mandela-like leader has arrived. Who’ll step up?
…Parliamentary Mandela?
Alluding above to what transpired yesterday on Mandela Day, your Eyewitness mentioned the goings on in Parliament. The Telecommunications Bill was debated and passed. Now, the need for a new dispensation had been mooted long before GTT’s 20-year exclusive rights had expired in 2010. So you’d think our political leaders would’ve sorted out matters by now, nuh? Forget it. Looks like we need a Mandela in Parliament also.
And your Eyewitness isn’t even talking about the substance of the Bill…just the form. What bone did we have to offer GTT, since by the original contract of 1990, they had first dibs on anything new? Did we really have to pass the Bill without the regulations in place? This was all about “regulating” the telecommunications sector, nuh? More than anything else here, the devil’s in the (regulatory) details.
So we now know there’s to be competition between the two biggies (and new entrants).
What now?
And placing so much power in the hands of the Minister isn’t Mandela like.
…Tutu?
Bishop Randolph George of the Anglican Church just passed away. He was our Bishop Tutu-like figure in the transition of 1992.
