Today's my shopping day!
Frankly Speaking...
That's correct my fans and foes. I'm actually off today. On leave from this column. (Perhaps shopping around for rockets, launchers and satellites!). In the spirit of the season, I'm anticipating my tolerant editor's permission to take a few hours to go do "Christmas Shopping" - as is allowed by some government "public service" departments traditionally around mid-December. That's also a Guyanese style tribute to Christmas - public servants shopping during working hours. What the heck? (?) So ironically, I'm suspecting that this most popular column will be read even more for its brevity - and perhaps levity today. For two of my current critics I'm shopping around for tolerance, peace, goodwill, joy, satisfaction, mature language and yes, love. I tire of the current "issues" created daily by those who benefit or mean to, from the politics of bullyism, threat or menace; from recklessness, exploitation or power-drunkenness. I'm determined to use these last three columns for this year of the nineties to promote peace and peaceful coexistence - from which unity might eventually emerge. That is why I again will not bother today to respond to Stanley Singh to be legal. I'll only agree that he should have been attending to registration or an updated voter's roll right now! And I, also, won't deal with the Stabroek editor's piece on drugs, though I find it compelling. (Next year). You know, perhaps I'm timid today because the past two weeks produced two caustic critics of my thinking. I salute them in peace below. My Christmas 'C-Mania' In keeping with the levity of this column, I recall and replay my theme, my virtual mania with the letter `C' of three years ago (December `96). I had attempted to capture (there's a `C' already!) the goings-on and spirit of `96 by using words beginning with `C'. I won't bore you with the expansive treatment but it had gone as follows: "C-words before and during Christmas in Guyana" include: Column - this one; Christ - the Reason for the Season; Constitution, Clinton, Cheddi, Commissioners of Police and Inland Revenue; Congress, CARICOM, Conmanship, Chanderpaul, Crisis, Controversy, Crooked Cops, Corruption in the Cinderella County; Courts - the store and the fora for settling contention where curious things occur. Candid Conversation concerns, Cocaine and Couriers, Careers in Crime, Chandra (Narine's) justice and Cricket. Campaigns for elections have started and Coconuts and Cowheels will suddenly become more expensive. So you've had enough of my `C's'? O.K., I'll concede that I can close, through courtesy and caring, at this conclusion. Have yourself a Courteous, Contemplative, Constructive, Christian-like Christmas. Remembering the Christ Child. Concerning caustic critics Ha! You thought I was done? Two critics recently used this paper's letter columns to criticise my views. Fair enough. But I was a wee bit concerned about their language. The activist Catholic Caustic Critic K. Hardless wrote, inter alia, that "Mr Fenty really must have had a bad week, I hope his lot improves..." (I find that quaint and humourous rude). Then a more aggrieved and aggressive Sunil Khemraj on Monday roared in response to my view about the ROAR Movement hanging on to PNC-led charges and controversies. Wrote Sunil: "It seems as though his commonsense has deserted him. He knows so little about ROAR and recent Guyanese politics..." My! What strong language. How dare this, this, this latter-day political aspirant assert that my commonsense has gone and that I don't know about ROAR? First, let me reveal for the first time Mr Sunil, that I was one of those Guyanese "Indians" who quietly fled Georgetown downtown on 12th January, 1998 for fear I wouldn't be around to write this. My past and present afford me a fine understanding of latter-day politics. Surely you read me from time to time. I'll return to your type next year. Meanwhile, I wish you too - and father - a peaceful Season of tolerance and reflection.
Pick and choose! 2) Remember I stated it in weeks past: The West Indies will whip New Zealand and win (back) new dubious friends. And I'm no West Indian fanatic. 3) Every country would have some manifestation of poverty. Does New Zealand have any slums? What lovely grounds! What about the Maoris? 4) They'll never accept the new orderly bus service to Linden. They love their legacy of lawlessness! 5) I wish Mash 2000 well. 6) See you at the Beal Aerospace Forum today. 7) Get your copy of the Guyana Christmas Annual before next Christmas Eve. 'till CHRISTMAS EVE!
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